Psidium fruits: Endemic fruits of Latin America with a wide variety of phytochemicals

Abstract

Main causes of death globally are stroke, ischemic heart and respiratory diseases, no making distinction among regions of the world, nor income economies. The incidence of these diseases may be reduced by consumption of fruits and vegetables. These foods play an important role in human nutrition attributed to the action of phytochemicals such as polyphenols and carotenoids contained in the fruits and vegetables. Among fruits, those of the genus Psidium have gained attention due to their use as a traditional medicine and many polyphenols and chemicals have been reported. The main edible Psidium fruits are the pink guava, Costa Rican guava, strawberry guava, and Brazilian guava, which are cultivated in Latin America but also in India and Pakistan. Main carotenoids present in these fruits are all-trans-lycopene, all-trans-β-carotene, and all-trans-β-crytoxanthin, the two latter with provitamin A activity. These fruits contain mainly polyphenols such as proanthocyanidins, monomeric flavanols, and ellagitannins, for which many bioactivities have been reported. This report summarizes the main phytochemicals present in the four edible Psidium fruits and describes some bioactivities attributed to these compounds. The compiled information highlights the importance of considering Psidium fruits as good sources of phytochemicals and their consideration for further development of functional fruits.