North American pawpaw (Asimina triloba L.) fruit: A critical review of bioactive compounds and their bioactivities

Background: The North American pawpaw (Asimina triloba L.) fruit is an underutilized specialty crop native to North America. Due to the short shelf life of the fruit, it has remained underutilized and uncommercialized. Over the years, various studies have found that it contains many valuable bioactive compounds. However, to date, there has been no review of the studies done to consolidate these findings and highlight the research gaps to create opportunities for future research. Scope and approach: Bioactive compounds are high-value compounds with a wide range of applications. This paper reviews the studies done on the bioactive compounds in the tissues of the fruit (peels, seeds, and pulp) in the last 30 years to provide the current state of knowledge on the bioactive constituents of the North American pawpaw fruit. This review points out the gaps in the available research to pave the way for further studies on the North American pawpaw fruit. Key findings and conclusion: Among the bioactive compounds identified in the tissues of the fruit are phenolic compounds, annonaceous acetogenins, alkaloids, and phytosterols. Various studies have pointed out the biological activities of extracts from the seeds and the pulp. These biological activities include antitumor and anticancer properties, antioxidant activities, suppression of adipocyte proliferation, and anti-obesity activity, among others. Despite these findings over the last three decades, there are several opportunities to delve deeper into various aspects of the bioactive compounds present in the tissues of the pawpaw fruit to drive its utilization and commercialization.