Prioritizing neglected food species in nutritional studies using expert-knowledge and explainable AI

Food biodiversity is vital for human health and the development of sustainable food systems. However, research on neglected and underutilized species is limited by funding, uneven research capacity, and the challenge of balancing ecological, cultural, and public health considerations, requiring innovative prioritization approaches. Using Brazil as a model, this study inventories 369 neglected food species across algae, aquatic fauna, wild terrestrial vertebrates, insects, mushrooms, and plants. A mixed-methods approach, combining expert knowledge and explainable AI (LightGBM and SHAP value analysis), identified key factors for prioritizing species for food composition and consumption studies. The inventory is dominated by plants (29.5%) and wild vertebrates (24.4%), with significant gaps in nutritional data, particularly for algae, insects, and wild vertebrates. Over 36,000 recipes using neglected species were identified. In both food composition (R<sup>2</sup>: 0.677) and consumption studies (R<sup>2</sup>: 0.782), recipe number and species occurrence across different states were the most influential features in predicting prioritization. These findings emphasize the role of cultural uses and local accessibility in shaping nutritional research priorities. We urge increased research on neglected species to bridge data gaps and integrate them into food systems, promoting sustainable diets in Brazil and other tropical regions.

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Publication Details

Journal
Scientific Reports
Published
2026-03-02
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-39484-6
Primary Topic
Insect Utilization and Effects
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Prioritizing neglected food species in nutritional studies using expert-knowledge and explainable AI

Thaís Q. Morcatty, Danilo Vicente Batista de Oliveira, Marina Maintinguer Norde, José Adaílson de Souza et al.
Scientific Reports
Insect Utilization and Effects
article

Prioritizing neglected food species in nutritional studies using expert-knowledge and explainable AI

Thaís Q. Morcatty, Danilo Vicente Batista de Oliveira, Marina Maintinguer Norde, José Adaílson de Souza, Mariana de Paula Drewinski, Lara Juliane Guedes da Silva, Cínthia Baú Betim Cazarin, Elias Jacob de Menezes Neto, Letícia Zenóbia de Oliveira Campos, Juliana Kelly da Silva-Maia, Eliana Bistriche Giuntini, Nelson Menolli, Aníbal de Freitas Santos Júnior, Josiane Steluti, Maria Elieidy Gomes de Oliveira, Rafael Ricardo Vasconcelos da Silva, Dirce Maria Lobo Marchioni, Daniel Tregidgo, Severina Carla Vieira Cunha Lima, Michelle Cristine Medeiros Jacob, Rômulo Romeu Nobrega ́Alves, Gabriela de Farias Moura, João Victor Mendes Silva, Célia Morais, Ulysses Paulino Albuquerque, Samara Camile Gomes da Silva, MARCELA ALVARES OLIVEIRA, Aline Martins de Carvalho, Angela Giovana Batista, Ingrid Wilza Leal (org.) Bezerra, Sávio Marcelino Gomes, Priscila F. M. Lopes, Hani R. El Bizri, Antonio Augusto Ferreira Carioca, Juliana Araujo Teixeira, Fillipe de Oliveira Pereira
article en

Abstract

Food biodiversity is vital for human health and the development of sustainable food systems. However, research on neglected and underutilized species is limited by funding, uneven research capacity, and the challenge of balancing ecological, cultural, and public health considerations, requiring innovative prioritization approaches. Using Brazil as a model, this study inventories 369 neglected food species across algae, aquatic fauna, wild terrestrial vertebrates, insects, mushrooms, and plants. A mixed-methods approach, combining expert knowledge and explainable AI (LightGBM and SHAP value analysis), identified key factors for prioritizing species for food composition and consumption studies. The inventory is dominated by plants (29.5%) and wild vertebrates (24.4%), with significant gaps in nutritional data, particularly for algae, insects, and wild vertebrates. Over 36,000 recipes using neglected species were identified. In both food composition (R<sup>2</sup>: 0.677) and consumption studies (R<sup>2</sup>: 0.782), recipe number and species occurrence across different states were the most influential features in predicting prioritization. These findings emphasize the role of cultural uses and local accessibility in shaping nutritional research priorities. We urge increased research on neglected species to bridge data gaps and integrate them into food systems, promoting sustainable diets in Brazil and other tropical regions.

Scientific Reports
Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora (BR), Federal Institute of São Paulo (BR), Universidade Federal de Rondônia (BR), Universidade do Estado da Bahia (BR), Universidade Estadual da Paraíba (BR), University of Bucharest (RO), Universidade Federal da Paraíba (BR), Universidade de São Paulo (BR), Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP) (BR), Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (BR), Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (BR), Instituto Butantan (BR), Universidade Federal do Oeste da Bahia (BR), Universidade de Fortaleza (BR), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (BR), Universidade Federal de Campina Grande (BR), Universidade Vale do Rio Doce (BR), Instituto de Saúde (BR), Instituto de Desenvolvimento Sustentável Mamirauá (BR), Hospital da Restauração (BR), University College London (GB), Insper (BR), Center for International Forestry Research (ID)
United States Agency for International Development, Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo, Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte
Zero hunger
Openalex Percentile: Top 44%
Insect Utilization and Effects
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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