Bioactive Compounds and Nutritional Profile of Fresh and Freeze-Dried Palmyra Palm Tender Fruit Endosperm (Borassus flabellifer)

Abstract

Palmyra palm Tender Fruit Endosperm (PTFE) is highly perishable and has to be consumed within few hours from harvest. Freeze drying was employed to enhance the shelf life and it was experimented against fresh PTFE for its bioactive and nutritional components. Antioxidant capacities in terms of DPPH and FRAP were analyzed and correlated with total phenols. GC-MS observation depicted the presence of bioactives such as octadecenoic acid, ricinoleic acid, n-hexadecanoic, sitosterol, stigmasterol, n-nonadecanol-1 and Cycloartenol in freeze-dried PTFE that possess good health effects. Nutritional evaluation conducted showed satisfying results and freeze-dried PTFE was microbiologically safe till one year of storage at ambient temperature and the samples were free from Salmonella, Staphylococcus spp, Clsotridium spp. Sensory scores portrayed no significant differences in terms of colour and appearance, flavor, taste and over all acceptability during one year of storage.