AVALIAÇÃO FÍSICO-QUIMICA DE FRUTOS DO CERRADO IN NATURA E PROCESSADOS PARA A ELABORAÇÃO DE MULTIMISTURAS.

Abstract

Many native species of the cerrado (Brazilian savanna) constitute important sources with potential of economic exploration. There is little information regarding the characteristics of the biodiversity in the cerrado, as well as adequate technologies of processing for nourishing products. In such a way, this work had objectives to evaluate the physico-chemical properties of the fruits of the cerrado, in natura and processed, with intention to generate information of the possibility for use in the multimixtures, beyond awakening the scientific community on the potential of the native fruits for the elaboration of new products and nutritional complements. For this, it was necessary, to determine the nutritional composition of the fruits in natura (araticum, baru, cagaita, cajuí, jatobá, lobeira and mangaba); to process them through viable and applicable technologies, as the toasting or freeze-drying, in accordance with its intrinsic characteristics, and to verify alterations in its nutritional compositions after the dehydration, through physico-chemical analyses, in triplicate, as the norms of the Institute Adolph Lutz. The fruits, araticum, cagaita, lobeira and mangaba had presented satisfactory properties for the consumption in natura, therefore they are rich in nutrients. The freeze-drying process, although slow and of limited application, presented the advantage to keep, practically unchanged, some attributes of quality, increasing the shelf-life and the availability of the seasonal fruits, beyond reducing the weight and the volume. Araticum and the lobeira had revealed adequate, after the freeze-drying process, due to texture and income, keeping some sensorial characteristics. The solid fruits (baru, cajuí and jatobá) had presented excellent properties for the consumption, rich in nutrients, as proteins, lipids and minerals, beyond the safe food characteristics, in the microbiological point of view. The process of toasting, used to dehydrate baru and jatobá, revealed fast and without risk of danger to the health of the manipulator. The use of the biodiversity of the cerrado can be an economic alternative for the supported development of the region.