PHYSICOCHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF THE SEED FLOUR AND THE PULP OF UNRIPE AND RIPE ARATICUM, A BRAZILIAN NATIVE FRUIT

Abstract

Brazil plays an important role in the international fruit market; however, the native ones are still little explored. Araticum (Rollinia sylvatica) is native to Brazil, but studies on the characterization of the fruit and its seeds are still scarce. Thus, this work aimed to evaluate the physicochemical characteristics of the pulp and the seed flour of R. sylvatica in two ripening stages: unripe and ripe. Pulp’s ashes, lipids, proteins, total titratable acidity (TTA), and total soluble solids increased, while moisture, a_w, carbohydrates, and pH decreased with ripening. For seed flour, moisture, proteins, carbohydrates, and pH were enhanced, while lipids and TTA were reduced during ripening. The instrumental color indicated no changes in the total color differences of the pulp as the araticum ripened, although the ripe seed flour became darker. Therefore, araticum presents important nutritional composition, such as sugars and proteins in the pulp, and lipids, fibers, and proteins in the seeds, and it may be a profitable alternative for farmers since it can be commercialized in natura, or processed in the form of pulp and the by-product flour.