Composição centesimal de carnes silvestres presentes em sistemas alimentares tradicionais da Amazônia brasileira

Abstract

The Amazon region, recognized for its rich biodiversity, is home to riverine populations that maintain an intrinsic relationship with the forest, playing a crucial role in the local ecological balance. The diet of these traditional peoples, based on fish and wild meat, is essential for their food security, providing proteins and other key nutrients. However, the nutritional composition of these meats remains poorly studied, limiting the development of appropriate nutritional strategies and interventions, resulting in persistent levels of food insecurity and malnutrition in the region. Food matching is a strategy used to estimate the nutrient content of foods with unknown nutritional composition. This study aimed to characterize the nutritional profile of wild meat from mammals, birds, and reptiles consumed within the context of a traditional food system in the Brazilian Amazon. A total of 93 samples from different species were collected, comprising 52 mammals, 19 birds, and 9 reptiles, in the Flona de Tefé, Amanã, and Mamirauá reserves, under the support of the Mamirauá Institute for Sustainable Development. The muscle tissues of the samples were analyzed following the official methods of the Association of Official Analytical Collaboration. Missing moisture data were imputed using machine learning techniques. Differences among groups were assessed using the Kruskal-Wallis test, followed by Dunn’s test with Bonferroni adjustment (P < 0.05). The results indicated that birds had higher ash levels compared to reptiles (p.adj: 0.0395), whereas the other macronutrients showed no significant differences between groups: lipids (p = 0.121) and proteins (p = 0.1106). The mean protein content was 22.34 (2.52), 23.51 (2.46), and 22.02 (1.86) g/100 g of meat for mammals, birds, and reptiles, respectively. The mean ash content was 1.17 (0.26), 1.26 (0.13), and 1.10 (0.12) g/100 g of meat, while the lipid content was 5.64 (2.71), 5.48 (2.01), and 4.01 (1.66) g/100 g of meat for the same groups. When comparing wild meat from mammals, birds, and reptiles with conventionally consumed meats, a similar nutritional composition was observed, highlighting them as important nutrient sources, particularly proteins, for women and children. The data obtained provide a foundation for further research and will serve as a basis for strategies promoting food and nutritional security, contributing to the fight against maternal and child malnutrition in Amazonian communities. Furthermore, the unprecedented quantification of the proximate composition of wild meat reinforces its role as a strategic resource for improving health in these populations.