Food Composition Data: Edible Plants in Pantanal

The Brazilian Pantanal is formed by a mosaic of plant physiognomies both in the humid floodplain and flood-free areas. Several native species are part of the culture of the local human populations and are strategic for their food and nutrition security and food sovereignty. We aim to present nutritional value of the main wild food plant species from the Pantanal that are part of the human diet, are abundant in native plant physiognomies, and have the potential for sustainable use associated with culture and nutritional security. The 11 main species part of the 69 wild food plants from the Pantanal (with edible fruits, palm heart, or seeds) were selected in available published studies which contain information on the use value for human populations, distribution and abundance, nutritional composition, and nutraceutical properties: Acrocomia aculeata, Attalea phalerata, Copernicia alba, Byrsonima cydoniifolia, Genipa americana, Inga laurina, Plinia cauliflora, Prosopis ruscifolia, Pouteria glomerata, and Vitex cymosa. We included also Oryza latifolia (that was in disuse). Among those with the highest use values are three highly abundant palms: A. aculeata (bocaiuva), A. phalerata (acuri), and C. alba (caranda) that, besides high nutritional value, are functional foods. Unlike A. aculeata, the wild rice (O. latifolia) is in disuse but was much used in the past. The selected plants have fruits distributed throughout the year and have been the target of projects to encourage their use in communities. Their wide geographic distribution extends the reach of our review beyond the Pantanal.