Chemical characterization of seeds of Amazon fruits as nutritional contribution with functional medicinal potential

Abstract

The fruit seeds of the Northern Amazon Region were evaluated bromatologically and nutritionally in terms of the level of macro- and micro-elements and fatty acids present in them. Bromatologically, the seeds of camu-camu (369.08 kcal 100 g-1) and biriba (364.78 kcal 100 g-1) have the highest energy value. In terms of the macroelements, the highest concentration was potassium (554.23 mg 100 g-1) seen in graviola, followed by magnesium (123.11 mg 100 g-1) in biriba. In terms of micronutrients, the highest concentrations are zinc (4.14 mg 100 g-1) and manganese (4.12 mg 100 g-1) in abiu seeds. The fatty acids composition of the seeds studied had a higher percentage of unsaturated fatty acids. Among the most saturated is palmitic acid with a concentration of 40.4% for tapereba seeds while among the unsaturated is oleic acid with a concentration of 47.4% for bacupari seeds. Key words: Oleic acid, bromatological, minerals, saturated fatty acids (SFA), unsaturated fatty acids (UFA).