Avaliação do conhecimento e consumo de plantas alimentícias não convencionais

Abstract

Currently, Brazil is one of the member countries of the Group of Related Megadiverse Countries, which brings together the 17 nations richest in biodiversity in the world. And when it comes to flora, Brazil has more than 350 thousand cataloged species. However, it is estimated that this number could reach 1.8 million species. Given this scenario, PANCs emerge, unconventional food plants, which refer to all plants that have one or more edible parts, and which are not included in the daily menu. PANCs can be classified as great alternatives for increasing the variety of options on the food menu, as they can also provide essential nutrients for health. These plants can be characterized as nutritious and functional foods, as they contain essential vitamins and nutrients that are not found in other foods. This study aimed to investigate the level of knowledge of these plants by the population, and determine their consumption profile. To this end, a survey was carried out using an online form, seeking to identify the socioeconomic characteristics of the participants, which are the most well-known PANCs, the factors that motivate consumption and the main obstacles. 124 people participated in the research, mostly women, aged between 18 and 30 years old, single, with a family income of less than 2 minimum wages, who practice physical activity but do not follow nutritional monitoring. The significant majority of the sample demonstrated that they already knew about this type of plant, and as the best known PANC's, the Pereskia aculeata, Spondias tuberosa, Physalis peruviana L. and Stachys lanata L. stood out, however, the consumption of this type of food is still low. As motivation, traditional knowledge and flavor were more relevant, but the biggest obstacle was the difficulty in finding these plants. Therefore, it was noticed that there is an interest among the population in consuming this type of food, however, it is still necessary to promote greater access by the population to these vegetables.