Açaí seeds: An unexplored agro-industrial residue as a potential source of lipids, fibers, and antioxidant phenolic compounds

• Published in: Industrial crops and products 2021-03, Vol.161, p.113204, Article 113204
• Main Authors: Melo, Priscilla Siqueira, Selani, Miriam Mabel, Gonçalves, Regina Helena, Paulino, Jennifer de Oliveira, Massarioli, Adna Prado, Alencar, Severino Matias de
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Central composite rotatable design; Dietary fibers; Euterpe oleracea Mart; Lipids; Oxidative stability; Phenolic compounds
• ISSN: 0926-6690; 1872-633X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.indcrop.2020.113204

[Display omitted] •Açaí seeds have a high content of dietary fibers (86 %).•The major fatty acids in açaí seed oil were oleic, linoleic, and myristic acids.•Açaí seeds contain antioxidants such as catechin, epicatechin, and procyanidins.•These antioxidants can be extracted at room temperature using green solvents.•The açaí seed extract does not have antioxidant activity in bulk soybean oil. Açaí (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) is a popular native fruit found in the Amazon region which has high energy value and is rich in bioactive compounds. However, the processing steps to obtain açaí pulp generate a large volume of agro-industrial residues, mainly composed of seeds. In our study, we investigated the use of açaí seeds as a source of lipids, fibers, and phenolic compounds with antioxidant activity. The seeds showed a high content of dietary fibers (86 %) and a low lipid content (2.75 %), of which 49.24 % and 50.76 % corresponded to saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, respectively. An optimized açaí seed extract was obtained using 57 % ethanol at room temperature (25 °C). The extract showed strong in vitro antioxidant activity against DPPH (622.81 μmol/g) and ABTS (763.09 μmol TEAC/g) free radicals. Procyanidin B1 and B2, catechin, and epicatechin were identified in the extract and quantitated by HPLC-DAD. Despite its strong in vitro antioxidant activity, the açaí seed extract did not increase the oxidative stability of soybean oil submitted to accelerated oxidation tests. Yet unexplored, açaí seeds could be considered a potential raw material for the extraction of fibers and bioactive phytochemicals such as catechin, epicatechin, and procyanidins, for industrial applications other than as a natural antioxidant in bulk soybean oil.