Speaker
Description
Acacia s.l. is a newly revised genus, whose plant (~1500) species are quintessential in the pantropical, arid, and the most hunger-prone areas worldwide, including Aridoamerica, Outback Australia, southern Asia, and Subsaharan Africa. However, the ecological roles of Acacia s.l. plants are still underestimated. Particularly, their ability to provide a food safety net and empower millions of indigents in their native areas has been overlooked for a very long time. The research on them has drawn interest only recently after the revision of their nomenclature at the XVII International Botanical Congress in Vienna in 2005. A comprehensive literature review has allowed us to identify a couple of trending human-edible products, including gums or resins, honeys and seeds (promising protein alternatives), from acacias. Besides, Acacia shoots (e.g., Acacia pennata shoots or cha-om), though lesser known, have also appeared as promising healthy vegetables for humans, highlighting the food and medicine continuum of Acacia edible products. The dissemination of the food products from acacias and their nutritional benefits can help underpin better environmental stewardship in the arid tropics. This communication highlights the different research fronts (i.e., nutrition, technology, environment, and ethnoecology) for human-edible acacia products, hoping to stimulate a concerted research incentive.
