PHYSICOCHEMICAL AND BIOATIVE COMPOSITION OF PINEAPPLE PELL FLOUR (Ananas comosus L. Merril)

Pineapple (Ananas comosus L. Merril) is a tropical and subtropical fruit, belonging to the Bromeliaceae family, whose processing by agroindustry generates significant amounts of peels, which have glycosides and polyphenols beneficial to health. Because the pineapple peel has a higher nutritional value than that found in the pulp, the purpose of the study was to make pineapple peel flour, to analyze the physico-chemical composition and the carotenoid content. To prepare the flour the pineapples were washed, sanitized at 100 ppm with sodium hypochlorite, during tem minutes and rinsed under running water. After sanitization, the pineapples were cut and the husks dehydrated in an oven with air circulation at 60 ºC for 7 hours. They were then grind, sieved and stored in polyethylene bags. The physical-chemical analyzes were: moisture, fixed mineral residue, lipids, proteins, carbohydrates, caloric value and total carotenoids. The moisture content of the flour was 5.17%, fixed mineral residue 3.86%, lipids 1.31%, proteins 4.04%, carbohydrates 76.81%, caloric value 333.04 Kcal / 100g and total carotenoids 10.66 mg / 100g. According to the physicochemical composition the flour presented the identity standards established by the current legislation. It is concluded that the flour of the pineapple peel has favorable properties to be used as an ingredient of food products, besides being an alternative way to take advantage from the peel, which is usually discarded after processing the fruit.