A critical review of some fruit trees from the Myrtaceae family as promising sources for food applications with functional claims

•Myrtaceae fruits are a source of nutrients, antioxidants and volatile compounds.•Polyphenols from the Myrtaceae fruit trees can inhibit α-amylase and α-glucosidase.•Fruits of the Myrtaceae family have potential to reduce blood glucose.•Intake of Myrtaceae fruits may improve the levels of cholesterol and triglycerides. The Myrtaceae family is one of the world’s leading commercial fruit tree families. Among the 121 genera belonging to this family, the Syzygium, Eugenia and Campomanesia genera are constituted by a wide variety of fruit species with great potential to be explored economically, besides presenting excellent nutritional value and being considered sources of phytochemicals such as phenolic compounds, carotenoids and volatile compounds. Many of these phytochemicals have been linked to the prevention and management of several chronic and degenerative diseases including cancer, cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes mellitus, obesity, amnesia among other disorders. In this context, this review discusses about the importance of four fruits species representative of Myrtaceae family such as Syzygium cumini, Syzygium malaccense, Eugenia pyriformis and Campomanesia xanthocarpa, focusing on the nutrients and phytochemical constituents as well as demonstrating their biological effects in order to stimulate the cultivation and consumption of these fruits.