Mangifera species are widely cultivated in Asia and elsewhere. More than 27 species in the genus bear edible, fleshy
fruits, especially the common mango (M. indica). Others, such as M. foetida, yield astringent fruits that can be eaten
pickled.[5]
Mango wastes, such as the seed kernel and peel, have high functional and nutritional potential. Mango seed contains important bioactive compounds that have high
antioxidant activity, lipids that have acceptable physical and chemical characteristics (free of trans fatty acids), and a somewhat high (about 6%)
protein content.[6] The mango peel contains considerable amounts of
antioxidants and
dietary fiber.[7]
Fossil record
The earliest
fossil species thought to be related to Mangifera is Eomangiferophyllum damalgiriense from the upper
Paleocene of northeastern
India. Leaves have also been reported from the Paleocene of
Japan and the
Eocene of
Germany, though these have been considered questionable. Leaf fossils confidently assignable to Mangifera have been collected from
Oligocene or early
Miocene sediments in northern
Thailand.[8][9]
^Serna, Liliana; García-Gonzales, Estefanía; Torres-León, Cristian (2016). "Agro-industrial potential of the mango peel based on its nutritional and functional properties". Food Reviews International. 32 (4): 364–376.
doi:
10.1080/87559129.2015.1094815.
S2CID87396909.
^Prakart Sawangchote; Paul J. Grote; David L. Dilcher (2009). "Tertiary leaf fossils of Mangifera (Anacardiaceae) from Li Basin, Thailand as examples of the utility of leaf marginal venation characters". American Journal of Botany. 96 (11): 2048–2061.
doi:
10.3732/ajb.0900086.
PMID21622324.