Potencial nutricional e funcional da farinha da casca de umbu (Spondias tuberosa Arruda Cam.)

Abstract

 “Umbuzeiro” (Spondias tuberosa Arruda Cam.) in a native species from the Northeast region of Brazil, well adapted to its hydric stress conditions, of great social and economic importance for the Semiarid. Their fruits are commercially explored for in natura consumption or industrialized, with large residue production. The aim of this work was to produce flour from the umbu peel, evaluating its nutritional and functional potential. Umbu peels were dried in lab oven at 60ºC until break point. The physicochemical and chemical analysis were conducted as well as the bioactive compounds (carotenoids, chlorophyll, yellow flavonoids, anthocyanins and vitamin C) from the umbu peel and the obtained flour. In natura umbu peels content of total phenolics (66,09 ± 7,96 mg.100 g^-1) and vitamin C (20,05 ± 1,41 mg.100 g^-1) were the highlights. In the flour, results demonstrated high content of reducing sugar (84,22 ± 4,22%) and low content of total lipids (0,71 ± 0,17%), also standing out ashes content (3,76 ± 0,04%). As for the bioactive compounds studied in the flour, vitamin C (37,65 ± 0,53 mg.100 g^-1) and total phenolics (138,54 ± 12,22 mg.100 g^-1) were the highlights. The umbu peel and flour demonstrated relevant nutritional composition and important bioactive constituents present, and its low cost of the flour obtention indicates a possibility for its use as an ingredient for novel food products, being viable to utilize the residue, adding value and reducing environment impact from its discard, as well as generating additional income to producers