Syagrus romanzoffiana as an emerging food resource: bibliometric insights and a roadmap for food applications and valorization

Syagrus romanzoffiana is an underutilized South American palm fruit of growing relevance to sustainable food innovation. However, evidence regarding its food potential remains fragmented across ecology, agronomy, materials science and food-related research, limiting understanding of how its fractions can be converted into value-added ingredients and products. This review critically integrates the bibliometric landscape with the compositional, functional and application-oriented evidence available for the different fractions of S. romanzoffiana as an emerging food resource. Nutritional, phytochemical, lipid, volatile and biological attributes are discussed with emphasis on the complementarity among pulp, kernel, peel and kernel cake, as well as on current applications and research priorities. Analysis of the publications revealed a progressive increase in scientific output on the species, although food-oriented studies remain less numerous than those addressing ecological and non-food approaches. The pulp currently provides the most direct evidence of food application, with laboratory-scale evidence from snack-bar formulations and fermentation studies. The composition of the kernel and its oil, peel and kernel cake also suggests opportunities for the development of lipid-based, antioxidant, coloring and fiber-rich ingredients. Collectively, these studies establish a relevant experimental basis for the food valorization of the species, although confirmation of the performance of these ingredients in different matrices and their validation at pilot and industrial scales are still required. Advancing the food use of S. romanzoffiana requires improved raw-material standardization, assessment of bioactive compound stability, validation in real food matrices, safety studies and scalable strategies for the integrated valorization of its fractions.