Guarana (Paullinia cupana) is a plant from the Amazon region with cultural importance. Despite its early ancestral use by indigenous tribes, the first reports regarding the benefits of guarana consumption for human health were published in the 19th century. Since then, the use of guarana seed in powder and extract forms has been studied for its diverse effects on human health, such as stimulating, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anticancer, hypocholesterolemic, and antiobesity effects. These effects are attributed to the high content of bioactive compounds found in guarana seeds, especially methylxanthines and flavonoids. In fact, the Brazilian Food Supplement Law has officially acknowledged guarana as a source of bioactive compounds. The number and diversity of studies focused on guarana and human health are increasing; thus, organizing and describing the available evidence on guarana and its applications is necessary to provide a framework for future studies. In this narrative review, we have organized the available information regarding guarana and its potential effects on human health. Guarana produces unique fruits with great potential for human health applications. However, the available evidence lacks human studies and mechanistic investigations. Future studies should be designed considering its applicability to human health, including intake levels and toxicity studies.

The Valparaiso region in Chile was decreed a zone affected by catastrophe in 2019 as a consequence of one of the driest seasons of the last 50 years. In this study, three varieties (‘Alfa-INIA’, ‘California-INIA’, and one landrace, ‘Local Navidad’) of kabuli-type chickpea seeds produced in 2018 (control) and 2019 (climate-related catastrophe, hereafter named water stress) were evaluated for their grain yield. Furthermore, the flavonoid profile of both free and esterified phenolic extracts was determined using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, and the concentration of the main flavonoid, biochanin A, was determined using liquid chromatography with diode array detection. The grain yield was decreased by up to 25 times in 2019. The concentration of biochanin A was up to 3.2 times higher in samples from the second season (water stress). This study demonstrates that water stress induces biosynthesis of biochanin A. However, positive changes in the biochanin A concentration are overshadowed by negative changes in the grain yield. Therefore, water stress, which may be worsened by climate change in the upcoming years, may jeopardize both the production of chickpeas and the supply of biochanin A, a bioactive compound that can be used to produce dietary supplements and/or nutraceuticals.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of two, conventional and green, extraction techniques on the nutritional, bioactive and physicochemical properties of oils from Astrocaryum vulgare pulp. It is an Amazonian oilseed named tucumã, known by their oily nature and bioactive properties. n-Hexane (N-HE) and supercritical CO 2 (SFE-CO 2 ) were used as extraction solvents. Higher oil yield, 39.63%, was achieved using N-HE then SFE-CO 2 , 36.75%. The SFE-CO 2 oil presented low acidity and peroxide content, 0.9 mg KOHg −1 and 1.1 mEq kg −1 , while the N-HE presented 3.25 mg KOH g −1 and 2.4 mEq kg −1 , respectively (P < 0.05). The SFE-CO 2 oil exhibited greater content of linoleic (~42.3%) and oleic acids (~32.6%) (P < 0.05) and higher β-carotenes, up to 1100 μg 100 g −1 , while the N-HE oil had ~877 μg 100 g −1 . SFE-CO 2 had positive effect on the physicochemical and nutritional properties of A. vulgare pulp oil, which was statistically confirmed by principal component analysis (PCA). Practical applications The application of green techniques based on supercritical CO 2 fluid extraction to obtain biolipids from A. vulgare pulp with greater nutritional quality contributes to its potential utilisation as a functional ingredient in foods.

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