Physicochemical characteristics and lipid profile of the bacaba Occurring in the western Amazon

Abstract

Brazil stands out for its diversity of native palm trees, with about 37 genres and 387 species described. Oenocarpus bacaba Mart.  Commonly known as bacabeira, it is an oleaginous fruit, usually eaten by the riverside and indigenous population in the Amazon region. This study aimed to analyze the physical and chemical characteristics and the lipid profile of the eatable part of bacaba, from Pimenta Bueno - RO. It was conducted physical assessments of the length, diameter, and weight. For the physical and chemical analyze it was characterized according to the Total titratable acidity, pH, reducing sugar, non-reducing and total sugar, moisture, total soluble solids, ashes, protein, lipids and fatty acids. The results for titratable acidity was 0,22g/100g of citric acid, pH 5,83, reducing sugar 4,64g /100g of glucose, total sugar 4,75g /100g of glucose, moisture 30,36%, total soluble solids 69,63g/100g, ashes 1,53g/100g, protein 4,61g/100g, lipids 21,02g/100g. The results demonstrated that the main components of the eatable parts from bacaba are lipids with lower levels of sugar and proteins, making it possible to classify bacaba as a fruit with high oleaginous content slightly acid and low moisture. Bacaba oil showed greater abundance of fatty acid oleic, the main constituent of olive oil. Therefore, considering the obtained data from this study with the nutritional and sensory characteristics described in the literature related to the similarities to the olive oil, the bacaba oil inserted into the feeding to replace the olive oil and other vegetable oils as a source of omega 9.