PEACH PALM PEELS: A NEW INGREDIENT TO IMPROVE NUTRITIONAL AND FUNCTIONAL VALUE OF FOODS

Peach palm fruit (Bactris gasipaes Kunth.) is a nutrient-rich fruit from the Amazon region, considered an excellent source of fiber, lipids, and provitamin A compounds. Its consumption occurs after cooking and in different forms, such as breakfast and culinary preparations, such as jellies and sweets. The fruit processing generates almonds and peels as waste, which are discarded; however, they are promising sources of bioactive compounds. Thus, this work investigated orange peach palm peel flour's nutritional characteristics and carotenoid composition. The peels were dried in a forced circulation oven at 60 °C for 48 h for flour production, then ground in a food processor and subjected to granulometric analysis. The proximate composition was estimated by the AOAC official methods, and total carbohydrates by difference. The total carotenoid contents were quantified by spectrophotometry, and the identification was carried out by HPLC-DAD. The granulometry of the flour showed the following distribution: 6.0% (> 1.2 mm), 10.8% (1.2 to 0.84 mm), 15.4% (0.84 to 0.5 mm), 4.8% (0.5 to 0.42 mm) and 4,5% (< 0.25) The flour presented moisture of 3.59%, and ash contents of 2.40%. The total lipid contents showed an average of 22.4%, considered a good source. The total protein content was 8.59%, and total carbohydrates 66.5%. The instrumental color (CIELAB) were L* = 53.09, a* = 19.67, b* = 31.44 and h° = 32,0, these values characterize the orange-red color. The total carotenoid content was 970.64 (µg/g, dry basis), and the major carotenoids identified in the peel flour were (all-E)--Carotene and (all-E)-β-Carotene, both provitamin A compounds. Therefore, peach palm peels for the production of flour can be seen as an excellent alternative for the use of this by-product as ingredient for application by food industry.