Wild Edible Fruits: A Structured Narrative Review on Bioactive Composition and Bioactivity

TL;DR

This review explores wild edible fruits' nutritional and health benefits, emphasizing the need for standardized research and sustainable use.

Contribution

The paper offers a multidisciplinary analysis of wild edible fruits, highlighting gaps in research methodology and sustainability.

Findings

Wild edible fruits contain significant levels of bioactive compounds like phenolics and vitamin C.

Current evidence on health benefits is limited by inconsistent analytical methods and lack of clinical trials.

The review emphasizes the importance of sustainability and standardization in future WEF research.

Abstract

Wild edible fruits (WEFs) represent an important yet underutilised component of biodiversity-based nutrition and functional food research. This structured narrative review critically synthesises current evidence on the phytochemical composition and nutritional relevance, biological activities, and sustainability dimensions of WEFs, with emphasis on fruit pulp as the primary edible tissue. A systematic search strategy following PRISMA-based principles was applied to enhance methodological transparency; however, due to high heterogeneity in species, analytical methods, and outcome measures, quantitative meta-analysis was not feasible. The review integrates compositional data (phenolics, carotenoids, tocopherols, sterols, vitamin C, and minerals) with reported bioactivities, while explicitly distinguishing between in vitro assays, in vivo studies, and limited clinical evidence. Particular attention is given to analytical variability, bioavailability constraints, dose–response relationships, and translational limitations that affect the interpretation of antioxidant and other health-related claims. Beyond bioactivity, the manuscript contextualises WEFs within socio-economic, conservation, and sustainable food system frameworks. By combining chemical characterisation, evidence hierarchy, and sustainability analysis, this review provides a critical and multidisciplinary perspective that advances understanding of WEFs and identifies priorities for future research, including standardised methodologies and well-designed human intervention trials.

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