Acai seeds: An unexplored agro-industrial residue as a potential source of lipids, fibers, and antioxidant phenolic compounds

Autor(es)

Melo, Priscilla Siqueira ^{[1, 2]} ; Selani, Miriam Mabel ^[2] ; Goncalves, Regina Helena ^[1] ; Paulino, Jennifer de Oliveira ^[2] ; Massarioli, Adna Prado ^[1] ; de Alencar, Severino Matias ^[1]

Afiliação do(s) autor(es)

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Luiz de Queiroz Coll Agr, Dept Agrifood Ind Food & Nutr, Padua Dias Ave, POB 9, BR-13418900 Piracicaba, SP - Brazil

^[2] Fed Univ Sao Carlos UFSCar, Ctr Nat Sci, Lagoa Sino Campus, Lauri Simoes Barros Highway, BR-18290000 Buri, SP - Brazil

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: INDUSTRIAL CROPS AND PRODUCTS; v. 161, MAR 2021.
• Citações Web of Science: 6

Resumo

Acai (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) is a popular native fruit found in the Amazon region which has high energy value and is rich in bioactive compounds. However, the processing steps to obtain acai pulp generate a large volume of agm-industrial residues, mainly composed of seeds. In our study, we investigated the use of acai seeds as a source of lipids, fibers, and phenolic compounds with antioxidant activity. The seeds showed a high content of dietary fibers (86 %) and a low lipid content (2.75 %), of which 49.24 % and 50.76 % corresponded to saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, respectively. An optimized acai seed extract was obtained using 57 % ethanol at room temperature (25 degrees C). The extract showed strong in vitro antioxidant activity against DPPH (622.81 mu mol/g) and ABTS (763.09 mu mol TEAC/g) free radicals. Procyanidin B1 and B2, catechin, and epicatechin were identified in the extract and quantitated by HPLC-DAD. Despite its strong in vitro antioxidant activity, the acai seed extract did not increase the oxidative stability of soybean oil submitted to accelerated oxidation tests. Yet unexplored, acai seeds could be considered a potential raw material for the extraction of fibers and bioactive phytochemicals such as catechin, epicatechin, and procyanidins, for industrial applications other than as a natural antioxidant in bulk soybean oil. (AU)

• Processo FAPESP: 11/12640-9 - Identificação de antioxidantes naturais em resíduos agroindustriais: isolamento e aplicação em matriz alimentar de base lipídica
• Beneficiário: Priscilla Siqueira Melo
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Brasil - Doutorado