Emerson Pansarin / USPA flower of the orchid Vanilla chamissonis: its fruits are indigestible for omnivoresEmerson Pansarin / USP
If you enjoy vanilla ice cream with those little black dots that prove it is made of the real ingredient, you might be interested to know that those tiny seeds, found inside pods produced by orchids of the genus Vanilla, might be indigestible. When this group of plants emerged in South America 34 million years ago, the fruits probably attracted megafauna species, which have since gone extinct. Vanilla chamissonis, native to the Atlantic Forest, is now only eaten by the Azara’s agouti (Dasyprocta azarae), according to observations made using camera traps. “The species produces fruits that are not palatable to omnivores, which includes humans,” says biologist Emerson Pansarin, from the Ribeirão Preto School of Philosophy, Sciences, and Languages & Literature at the University of São Paulo (FFCLRP-USP), who studied the morphology, anatomy, and chemistry of fruits produced by plants grown in a lab. “Agoutis, which are exclusively herbivorous, are resistant to tannins and phenolic compounds, which allows them to consume fruits that are not eaten by omnivores,” he adds. The researcher calls for caution in the consumption and trade of this highly appreciated aroma when it comes to native species whose chemical compounds may have unknown effects on humans (Plant Biology, October 5).
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