Macaúba (Acrocomia aculeata): caracterização centesimal, potencial antioxidante e compostos fenólicos da polpa e amêndoa

Abstract

Brazil has a wide area to be explored in the horticulture due its soil and climate characteristics. This culture is especially important in keeping people in the field through diversification and generation of employment and income. The macaúba is seen as a good source of income and has a wide application in food, cosmetics and biofuels industries, being fully exploited for these purposes. The samples collected in the city of Goioerê / PR were analyzed in order to determine their proximate composition (moisture, ash, protein, total fat and carbohydrate), phenolic compounds and antioxidant potential of pulp and kernel at the Federal Technological University of Paraná laboratory Campo Mourão. The results presented by the chemical composition pointed to an expected behavior as referred in the literature, which indicates that this variation is due to the characteristics of the places of origin of the samples. The absorbance obtained in etanoicos almond extracts were higher characterizing a higher antioxidant capacity compared with pulp. The EC 50 showed results consistent with the absorbance confirming the highest antioxidant potential for almond, while the value of total phenolic compounds with higher values for the pulp and smaller for the kernel. The results indicated that macaúba can be applied in various industry sectors.