Maqui (Aristotelia chilensis [Molina] Stuntz): the most antioxidant wild berry towards agricultural production

摘要

Maqui (Aristotelia chilensis [Molina] Stuntz) is an endemic tree species widely distributed in Chile and Argentina. Its fruit is a berry that is known worldwide as having the highest antioxidant capacity of any marketed fruit. Its production to date has been based on gathering fruit from wild forest plants, which are used for food products, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics, or exported in bulk to several countries. Growing international demand has increased pressure on the natural maqui berry populations. Consequently, projects are underway to develop the commercial production of maqui berry to meet market demand, and new orchards are under development. Therefore, a comprehensive review scoping information about its ecological, genetic and chemical characteristics, plus the new research on agronomical culture, is necessary, in order to understand the potential future of the species as an important commercial fruit.