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Food from the Wild — Roles and Values of Wild...
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Food from the Wild — Roles and Values of Wild Edible Plants and Fungi

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Foods".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 August 2023) | Viewed by 11081

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Luís Catarino

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes (cE3c), Faculty of Sciences (FCUL), University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
Interests: ethnobotany and ethnoecology; tropical plant diversity; vegetation ecology; protected areas management; conservation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Maria Romeiras

E-Mail Website1 Website2 Website3
Guest Editor
Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Universidade de Lisboa, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017 Lisbon, Portugal
Interests: tropical biodiversity; botany and vegetation ecology; phylogenetics; conservation; ethnobotany; plant genetic resources; crop wild relatives
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Ângela Fernandes

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Centro de Investigação de Montanha (CIMO), Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, 5300-253 Bragança, Portugal
Interests: bioactivity and chemistry of natural products; biowaste valorization; bio-based ingredients; nutraceuticals and functional foods; emerging technologies for food conservation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Wild foods constitute a substantial part of household food consumption around the world. In less-developed regions, the harvesting and use of wild plants and mushrooms remain a current practice, and several species are also marketed and have socio-economic importance. Wild plants and fungi have functional properties that can prevent or treat a wide variety of ailments, have great potential to fight malnutrition and deficiencies, and help to prevent health conditions.

In a time marked by climate change, the overexploitation of natural resources, increasing global population, rapid land use changes and food insecurity, knowledge of the potential availability of natural resources, their valorization and sustainable use is important at all levels. Thus, research on the theme of edible wild plants and fungi can make an important contribution to the knowledge of their potential and valorization, to food security, to income generation through the exploration of non-wood forest products and to the sustainable intensification of crop production.

Particularly, the biochemical exploration of wild plants and fungi for their nutritional and functional properties, and for the identification of molecules responsible for the reported effects, is a matter of increasing research attention.

This special issue of Foods intends to gather contributions to enlighten the present and potential importance of wild edible plants and fungi as a natural resource to be explored, valued and preserved.

Contributions on a wide range of subjects related to the role of wild plant and mushroom species to food security are welcome for submission. These include but are not limited to:

  • Functional properties of wild edible species;
  • Biochemical composition;
  • Conservation status of intensively harvested species;
  • Crop wild relatives for food security;
  • Suitable species for agroforestry systems and domestication;
  • Food processing systems for wild edible species;
  • Market chains and economical importance from local to national scales;
  • Potential of edible wild species to increase food security of rural communities;
  • Local varieties and landraces of common species.

Dr. Luís Catarino
Prof. Dr. Maria Romeiras
Dr. Ângela Fernandes
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • natural products
  • food security
  • conservation of natural resources
  • wild edible species
  • non-wood forest products
  • bio-based ingredients
  • nutraceutical and functional foods

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Editorial

Jump to: Research, Review

3 pages, 177 KiB  
Editorial
Food from the Wild—Roles and Values of Wild Edible Plants and Fungi
by Luis Catarino, Maria Manuel Romeiras and Ângela Fernandes
Foods 2024, 13(6), 818; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13060818 - 07 Mar 2024
Viewed by 662
Abstract
Humans have used a multitude of wild species of plants, fungi, and animals for food and medicinal purposes [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food from the Wild — Roles and Values of Wild Edible Plants and Fungi)

Research

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14 pages, 2163 KiB  
Article
Composition of Sugars, Organic Acids, Phenolic Compounds, and Volatile Organic Compounds in Lingonberries (Vaccinium vitis-idaea L.) at Five Ripening Stages
by Mathias Amundsen, Anne Linn Hykkerud, Niina Kelanne, Sanni Tuominen, Gesine Schmidt, Oskar Laaksonen, Baoru Yang, Inger Martinussen, Laura Jaakola and Kjersti Aaby
Foods 2023, 12(11), 2154; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12112154 - 26 May 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1427
Abstract
Wild lingonberries are a traditional source of food in the Nordic countries and an important contributor to economic activity of non-wood forest products in the region. Lingonberries are a rich source of bioactive compounds and can be a valuable contributor to a healthy [...] Read more.
Wild lingonberries are a traditional source of food in the Nordic countries and an important contributor to economic activity of non-wood forest products in the region. Lingonberries are a rich source of bioactive compounds and can be a valuable contributor to a healthy diet. However, there are few studies available on how the bioactive compounds in lingonberries develop as they ripen. In this investigation, we examined the content of 27 phenolic compounds, three sugars, four organic acids, and 71 volatile organic compounds at five ripening stages. The study showed that, while the highest content of phenolic compounds was found early in the development, the organoleptic quality of the fruits improved as they ripened. From the first to the last stage of development, anthocyanins went from being nearly absent to 100 mg/100 g fw, and there was an increased content of sugars from 2.7 to 7.2 g/100 g fw, whereas the content of organic acids decreased from 4.9 to 2.7 g/100 g fw, and there were several changes in the profile of volatiles. The contents of flavonols, cinnamic acid derivatives, flavan-3-ols, and the total concentration of phenolic compounds were significantly lower in the fully ripe berries compared to berries in the early green stage. In addition to the changes occurring due to ripening, there was observed variation in the profile of both phenolic compounds and volatiles, depending on the growth location of the berries. The present data are useful for the assessment of harvest time to obtain the desired quality of lingonberries. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food from the Wild — Roles and Values of Wild Edible Plants and Fungi)
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17 pages, 2444 KiB  
Article
Quality Attributes and Metabolic Profiles of Uvaia (Eugenia pyriformis), a Native Brazilian Atlantic Forest Fruit
by Poliana Cristina Spricigo, Luísa Souza Almeida, Gabriel Henrique Ribeiro, Banny Silva Barbosa Correia, Isabela Barroso Taver, Angelo Pedro Jacomino and Luiz Alberto Colnago
Foods 2023, 12(9), 1881; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12091881 - 03 May 2023
Viewed by 1440
Abstract
The uvaia is a native Brazilian Atlantic Forest Myrtaceae fruit with a soft pulp, ranging from yellow to orange, with a sweet acidic flavor and sweet fruity aroma. Uvaias present consumption potential, but their physicochemical characteristics are still understudied. In this context, we [...] Read more.
The uvaia is a native Brazilian Atlantic Forest Myrtaceae fruit with a soft pulp, ranging from yellow to orange, with a sweet acidic flavor and sweet fruity aroma. Uvaias present consumption potential, but their physicochemical characteristics are still understudied. In this context, we describe herein the metabolites of uvaia that have been determined by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. We screened 41 accessions and selected 10 accessions based on their diversity of physicochemical attributes, i.e., their fresh mass, height, diameter, yield, seed mass, total soluble solids, and titratable acidity. Twenty-six metabolites were identified, including sugars, acids, and amino acids. The results of this study comprise the most complete report on sugars and acids in uvaias. The relevant metabolites in terms of abundance were the reducing sugars glucose and fructose, as well as malic and citric acids. Furthermore, this study represents the first description of the uvaia amino acid profile and an outline of its metabolic pathways. Uvaia quality attributes differ among accessions, demonstrating high variability, diversity, and several possibilities in different economic areas. Our findings may help in future breeding programs in the selection of plant material for industries such as food and pharmaceuticals. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food from the Wild — Roles and Values of Wild Edible Plants and Fungi)
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10 pages, 905 KiB  
Article
Variation of Major Chemical Composition in Seed-Propagated Population of Wild Cocoa Tea Plant Camellia ptilophylla Chang
by Xin-Qiang Zheng, Shu-Ling Dong, Ze-Yu Li, Jian-Liang Lu, Jian-Hui Ye, Shi-Ke Tao, Yan-Ping Hu and Yue-Rong Liang
Foods 2023, 12(1), 123; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12010123 - 26 Dec 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1614
Abstract
Excessive intake of high-caffeine tea will induce health-related risk. Therefore, breeding and cultivating tea cultivars with less caffeine is a feasible way to control daily caffeine intake. Cocoa tea (Camellia ptilophylla Chang) is a wild tea plant which grows leaves with little [...] Read more.
Excessive intake of high-caffeine tea will induce health-related risk. Therefore, breeding and cultivating tea cultivars with less caffeine is a feasible way to control daily caffeine intake. Cocoa tea (Camellia ptilophylla Chang) is a wild tea plant which grows leaves with little or no caffeine. However, the vegetative propagation of cocoa tea plants is difficult due to challenges with rooting. Whether natural seeds collected from wild cocoa tea plants can be used to produce less-caffeinated tea remains unknown, because research on the separation of traits among the seed progeny population is lacking. The present study was set to investigate the variation of caffeine and other chemical compositions in seed-propagated plant individuals using colorimetric and HPLC methods. It shows that there were great differences in chemical composition among the seed-propagated population of wild cocoa tea plants, among which some individuals possessed caffeine contents as high as those of normal cultivated tea cultivars (C. sinensis), suggesting that the naturally seed-propagated cocoa tea seedlings are not suitable for directly cultivating leaf materials to produce low-caffeine tea. Therefore, the cocoa tea plants used for harvesting seeds for growing low-caffeine tea plants should be isolated in order to prevent their hybridization with normal cultivated C. sinensis plants. Interestingly, the leaves of cocoa tea seedlings contained high levels of gallocatechin gallate (GCG) and would be a good source of leaf materials for extracting more stable antioxidant, because GCG is a more stable antioxidant than epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), the dominant component of catechins in normal cultivated tea cultivars. Some plant individuals which contained low levels of caffeine along with high levels of amino acids and medium levels of catechins, are considered to be promising for further screening of less-caffeinated green tea cultivars. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food from the Wild — Roles and Values of Wild Edible Plants and Fungi)
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24 pages, 7500 KiB  
Article
Diversity of Legumes in the Cashew Agroforestry System in East Timor (Southeast Asia)
by Lara Guterres, Maria Cristina Duarte, Silvia Catarino, Guilherme Roxo, João Barnabé, Mónica Sebastiana, Filipa Monteiro and Maria Manuel Romeiras
Foods 2022, 11(21), 3503; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11213503 - 03 Nov 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2563
Abstract
Cashew is an important export-oriented crop in several tropical countries, often under monocropping systems. Intercropping with legume species is promoted as a sustainable practice, enhancing agricultural productivity and providing nutritional food sources to rural communities. This study aimed to characterize the diversity of [...] Read more.
Cashew is an important export-oriented crop in several tropical countries, often under monocropping systems. Intercropping with legume species is promoted as a sustainable practice, enhancing agricultural productivity and providing nutritional food sources to rural communities. This study aimed to characterize the diversity of Leguminosae (or Fabaceae) in the cashew agroforestry systems of East Timor (Southeast Asia). Fourteen cashew orchards were sampled across the country, and information about leguminous species uses was collected from local populations. About 50 species are commonly part of the country’s cashew agroforestry system, many of them simultaneously used as food, fodder, and in traditional medicine. Six bean species—Cajanus cajan (L.) Huth, Phaseolus lunatus L., Phaseolus vulgaris L., Vigna angularis (Willd.) Ohwi and H.Ohashi, Vigna radiata (L.) R.Wilczek and Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.—are largely used as food. The mineral contents of these beans revealed relevant differences between species and, in some cases, between types (seed colour) within species. Periods of hunger and low food variety are frequent in East Timor, reflecting a very poor nutritional state of the population. Knowing and using legumes for local nutrition, as well as for healthcare and well-being, adds great value to these species as components of East Timor cashew agroforestry systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food from the Wild — Roles and Values of Wild Edible Plants and Fungi)
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Review

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21 pages, 866 KiB  
Review
Valorization of Wild Edible Plants as Food Ingredients and Their Economic Value
by Jesús Clemente-Villalba, Francisco Burló, Francisca Hernández and Ángel A. Carbonell-Barrachina
Foods 2023, 12(5), 1012; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12051012 - 27 Feb 2023
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2632
Abstract
(1) Background: Wild Edible Plants (WEPs) are plants that grow without human help, by simply using the available resources. These types of plants are undervalued, because there is a lack of knowledge about their bioactive composition and nutritional/functional potential. (2) Scope and Approach: [...] Read more.
(1) Background: Wild Edible Plants (WEPs) are plants that grow without human help, by simply using the available resources. These types of plants are undervalued, because there is a lack of knowledge about their bioactive composition and nutritional/functional potential. (2) Scope and Approach: The main aim of this review is to fully identify the potential uses and importance of WEPs in certain regions based on (i) their sustainability, because they grow with their own resources, (ii) their content of bioactive compounds and consequently nutritional and functional value, (iii) their socio-economic relevance, and (iv) their ability to be useful in the agri-food industry in the short term. (3) Results: This review found evidence that a consumption of between 100 and 200 g of some of these WEPs can cover up to 50% of the recommended daily intake of proteins and fiber, being also a natural source of macro- and micro-minerals. Regarding their bioactive composition, most of these plants contain phenolic compounds and flavonoids, which determine their antioxidant capacity. (4) Conclusions: These reported results clearly demonstrate the high potential of the WEPs from a nutritional, economic and social point of view; although further studies are needed to gather deeper scientific information about their potential role in the socio-economic sustainability of specific groups of farmers worldwide. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food from the Wild — Roles and Values of Wild Edible Plants and Fungi)
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