Caracterização de diferentes acessos dos frutos da espécie Butia capitata

The Brazilian Cerrado has an extensive variety of endemic fruit species with high nutritional value and peculiar organoleptic characteristics. Among them, the species Butia capitata (Mart.) Becc, belonging to the palm family (Arecaceae), stands out, whose fruit is popularly known as coquinho-azedo, butiá, coquinho or butiá azedo. The adverse environmental conditions of the Cerrado cause plants to develop adaptation mechanisms, the result of which is the formation of bioactive compounds. These compounds can influence the flavor, nutritional composition and bioactive profile of fruits. They are also considered a group of natural pigments responsible for the color of vegetables. Differences in color may indicate different chemical compositions, and directly influence the bioactivity of the fruit. The objective was to describe the physical, chemical, nutritional and bioactive characteristics of different accessions of B.capitata from the Cerrado of Minas Gerais. The treatments were defined based on the color predominantly visible to the naked eye, and were named: AM (yellow), LA (orange), RA (pink), RO (purple) and RX (extra purple). The study involved the analysis of 100 whole fruits, evaluating physical parameters such as mass, length, width and firmness. The instrumental color of the epicarp was determined using a digital colorimeter. The fruits were pulped and weighed. The physicochemical properties were also evaluated and the profile of bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity was traced for each variety of epicarp. The design was completely randomized, the results submitted to ANOVA, presented as mean±standard deviation and the means compared by the Scott-Knott test (p < 0.05) using the SISVAR® statistical program. The fruits are on average 2.38 cm long, 2.13 cm in diameter, weigh 7.24 g and have a firmness of 11.87 N/cm². As for color, all fruits exhibited positive a* and b* values. The hue angle was located within the first quadrant (<90º), with RX closer to red and AM closer to yellow. The saturation analyzes carried out showed a moderate color intensity. The RX and RO samples indicated a darker color, while the AM and LA accessions showed greater luminosity. SS and AT values did not differ between colors, and pH indicated very acidic fruits. The moisture content averaged 90.37%. Coconut RX has the highest ash, protein (0.98%) and lipid (6.43%) content. The carbohydrate content was equivalent to 75.72%. It was noted that the values of total phenolic compounds obtained had an average of 250.08 mg EAG/100g. The study also revealed that B. capitata fruits have an average of 44.2 mg/100g of vitamin C, with emphasis on RA and 0.09 mg/100g of total carotenoids, with higher concentrations for RX and RO accessions. . The flavonoid content varied, being more abundant in RX and RO, while AM had the lowest content. The average total anthocyanins was 4.28 mg/100 g, with emphasis on coquinho-azedo AM. Six phenolic acids were detected, with a similar profile between colors. The RX extract showed the highest values of antioxidant capacity by the DPPH, ABTS and FRAP methods, while AM had the lowest values. It is possible that the results found in this work are attributed to the interaction of all phytochemical constituents present in the fruit, which probably played a significant role in the observed antioxidant activity. The fruits of Butia capitata can therefore be considered potential sources of antioxidants for consumers to prevent the action of free radicals.