Abstract

MEJIA G, Amanda I et al. PLANTS OF THE GENUS BAMBUSA: IMPORTANCE AND APPLICATION IN THE PHARMACEUTICAL, COSMETIC AND FOOD INDUSTRY. Vitae [online]. 2009, vol.16, n.3, pp.396-405. ISSN 0121-4004.

Plants of the genus Bambusa have enriched the life of the people in multiple ways. In Oriental countries, their buds foods present special sensorial characteristics; their leaves are raw material for numerous products like foods, medicines and cosmetics. Some compounds derivated from bamboo leaves that show high antioxidant activity and low toxicity are used as additives in the production of functional foods. In our culture their stems were used to make scaffolds in the past and they are still used in construction, furniture and crafts. When the bamboo carbonizes to high temperatures, it becomes a type of highly porous coal, useful to deodorize, disinfect, purify, absorb humidity, and even able to block the electromagnetic waves. The Japanese factories have produced bamboo coal for more than one decade. In addition, the bamboo vinegar also is obtained as a secondary product, in the carbonization process. This vinegar contains several compounds with disinfectant, antioxidant activity and plant growth stimulant, between others. Some compounds from plant leaves of the genus Bambusa has been isolated, and it has been found that since they exhibit high antioxidant activity and low toxicity effects they are appropriate to use as additives in the functional food production. This paper presents a documentation of the uses and prospects for the production of high value-added pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food obtained from the processing of bamboo, as well as the economic and commercial value of plants of the genus Bambusa like the important Guadua angustifolia Kunth in Colombia.

Keywords : Bambusa; bamboo vinegar; bamboo charcoal; bamboo buds foods; bamboo leafs; Guadua angustifolia Kunth.

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