Unveiling the Health Promising Benefits of Processed Foods Derived from Underutilized Edible Plants: A Review.

Abstract

Wild food plants (WFPs) grow naturally and are essential components of the diet and conventional food chain. These plants are underutilized despite being nutritious and highly bio-active compounds. Wild food consumption has declined over the last generation owing to life-style changes and lower availability, and it is still consumed by marginalized communities. WFPs are available in a broad range of species and flavors that can help diversify the diet and make meals more enjoyable. Therefore, enhancing the availability and consumption of pro-cessed foods manufactured from wild plants is necessary. The increased use of processed prod-ucts formulated from edible wild plants can improve nutrition and protect ecological and cultural varieties. They are high in vitamins and micro-and macronutrients, which are essential for com-munities particularly vulnerable to malnutrition and imbalanced health. As plants develop natu-rally without the use of pesticides or other fertilizers, wild-food plants are typically considered more sustainable than commercial crops. Wild plants contain phytochemicals with various phar-macological and biological properties. Consuming WFPs should be done with caution and mod-eration, because some wild plants can be hazardous or harmful if consumed in large quantities or without adequate preparation. This review discusses various emerging technologies for han-dling wild food plants, the health benefits of these wild food plants, the effect of processing on reducing ant nutritional components, pharmaceutical potential, and consumers' overall percep-tions of wild food plants.