Sapucaia nut (Lecythis pisonis Cambess.) flour as a new industrial ingredient: Physicochemical, thermal, and functional properties

• Published in: Food research international 2018-07, Vol.109, p.572-582
• Main Authors: Teixeira, Gerson Lopes, Ávila, Suelen, Hornung, Polyanna Silveira, Barbi, Rafaela Cristina Turola, Ribani, Rosemary Hoffmann
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Brazilian edible nut; Defatted nut meal; Emulsions; Functional properties; Pressurized fluids
• ISSN: 0963-9969; 1873-7145
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2018.04.071

The aim of this work was to investigate the physicochemical, thermal, and functional properties of partially defatted sapucaia nut (Lecythis pisonis Cambess.) flours (PDSF) degreased by subcritical propane (20–60 °C; 20–100 bar) and supercritical CO2 + ethanol (1:1 w/w) as co-solvent (60 °C; 200 bar) in comparison to the PDSF obtained through Soxhlet extraction with petroleum ether. Under the conditions studied herein, compressed propane has a minor effect on the granules' morphology (average particle size between 22 and 32 μm) or in the physicochemical characteristics of the PDSF. It caused a minimum impact on the nutritional profile of the samples; unlike, the thermogravimetric analysis revealed that there is an influence on the thermal stability of the PDSF. Functional characteristics, such as emulsifying (8–20 m2/g), foam (6–12%), and high water (0.35–1.38 g/g flour) and oil (0.72–1.57 g/g flour) absorption capacity, were observed in PDSF. Defatted flours were found to be effective in the production of emulsions with structures that showed micrometric-sized droplets (up to 85% droplet size