Avaliação dos parâmetros nutricionais e potencial antioxidante do fruto de Ora-pro-nobis (Pereskia aculeata Miller)

Abstract

Brazil is among the largest world producers of fruits, overcome only by China and India. Several species of Brazilian fruits are still little explored due to lack of information about their nutritional values and their use in culinary. This lack of information leads to not use the wide biodiversity of existing fruit. Among the lesser-explored plants, the ora-pro-nóbis (Pereskia aculeata Miller) stands out, a shrub-climbing cactus originating in tropical and subtropical regions, widely used as a hedge and widely consumed in the state of Minas Gerais. Little information concerning to the fruit of ora-pro-nobis are found in the scientific literature, and this sense the present study aims to evaluate the nutritional composition, total phenolics content and antioxidant activity of ora-pro-nobis fruits grown in the city of Toledo, Paraná. The pulp of fruit presented high moisture content (86.5%) and low protein content (1.02 g / 100 g) and lipids (0.25g / 100g). It shown to be rich in phenolic compounds presenting values of 392 mg GAE / 100 g of fruit. High potential of scavenging of the radicals DPPH (820.06 mM TE/g) and ABTS•+ (6993.12 mM TE/g) were also checked. The fruit also showed high ferric ion reducing antioxidant potential (1200.82 mM ferrous sulfate eq/g). The results suggest the fruits can be use in food as a source of antioxidants, and can be consume in natura or incorporated in other food products.