Abstract
The pequi pericarp corresponds to the largest portion of the fruit and has a high nutritional value, but it is discarded as an agro-industrial residue. The present study aimed to prepare and characterize flours from the pequi pericarp in terms of their proximate composition, its antioxidant potential before and after the in vitro digestibility process and chemical profile, aiming at the full use of this fruit. The samples of pequi pericarp flours from the cities of Sete Lagoas, Paraopeba and Felixlândia were analyzed. The profile of chemical compounds present in the flours was determined using paper spray mass spectrometry. The in vitro simulated digestion technique was used to verify the stability of the phenolic compounds and the maintenance of the antioxidant capacity of the samples. The flours from the pequi pericarp showed to have higher levels of protein, ash and dietary fiber, compared to the data described in the literature for the pulp of the fruit. The analysis of paper spray mass spectrometry allowed the identification of 46 chemical compounds including amino acids, sugars, organic acids and phenolic compounds. The analysis of the main components showed that there was no chemical variation among the fruits from the cities studied. Through the in vitro digestibility technique, it was possible to observe an increase in the bioaccessibility of phenolic compounds, contributing to increase the already significant antioxidant capacity of the samples. It was concluded that the pequi pericarp flour has the potential to be used as a food ingredient due to the high bioaccessibility of its bioactive compounds, capable of reducing the risk of developing diseases caused by oxidative stress.
Highlights
Brazil is the country with the largest biodiversity in the world, with more than 70% of all species of fauna and flora existing today
The ashes contents of the samples were between 2.58 and 3.17%. These results are slightly higher than those obtained by Leão et al.[1] who reported a 2.34% ash content for pequi pericarp flours
Pequi pericarp flours had higher levels of protein, ash and total dietary fiber compared to data presented in the literature for the fruit pulp
Summary
Brazil is the country with the largest biodiversity in the world, with more than 70% of all species of fauna and flora existing today. Pequi (Caryocar brasiliense Camb.) is a native fruit of the Brazilian Cerrado cultivated in several states in the northeast, southeast and central-west regions of the country, with an annual production of approximately 27,000 tons.[1,2] During the processing of the fruit, the pericarp (peel) is discarded as agro-industrial waste. This part of the fruit has potential use in human consumption due to the high content of dietary fiber, carotenoids and phenolic compounds with significant antioxidant capacity.[1,3,4] Few applications for the pequi pericarp have been reported in the literature so far, such as its use in the development of Development and Chemical Characterization of Pequi Pericarp Flour (Caryocar brasiliense Camb.)
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