The potential contribution of Canarium schweinfurthii Engl. fruit pulp in the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus

Abstract Diet is the main modifiable risk factor underlying the progression of Type 2 Diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The African olive ( Canarium schweinfurthii Engl.) of the family Burseraceae and genus Canarium is a source of food and medicine. This review summarized information on the nutritional and chemical composition of the Canarium schweinfurthii Engl. fruit pulp and explored its potential application in the management of T2DM. The literature search covered scientific databases comprising of Science Direct, Springer, Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute, Science Hub and Google Scholar, from April 2023 up to January 2024. The following keywords were used: “ Canarium schweinfurthii Engl.”, “ Canarium schweinfurthii Engl. fruit pulp”, “ Canarium schweinfurthii Engl. nutrition value, chemical composition and bioactive compounds”, “ Canarium schweinfurthii Engl. against T2DM”, and “Nutritional requirements for T2DM”. This review evaluates the current state of research of global literature from 1992 to 2022 (n = 450) on Canarium schweinfurthii Engl. and T2DM. Data and information from literature (n = 115) was included in the review. The results of different studies showed that Canarium schweinfurthii Engl. fruit was composed of a wide range of nutritional and chemical components such as minerals, amino acids, fatty acids and vitamins. In addition, the fruit contains bioactive compounds reported to be effective against T2DM. Canarium schweinfurthii Engl. contains phytochemicals such as saponins, phenolics, alkaloids and flavonoids that have positive effects on cardio-metabolic health. Although the T2DM therapeutic effects of Canarium schweinfurthii bark stem extracts and fruit pulp oil have been reported, the therapeutic potential of the whole fruit pulp is yet to be reported. Graphical Abstract