Assessment of chemical, nutritional and bioactive properties of Annona crassiflora and Annona muricata wastes

Abstract

Brazil is home of a wide biodiversity of natural resources compared to other countries, including a large number of underexploited fruits and exotic species that are of potential interest to the agroindustry (Almeida et al., 2011). Several fruits have leveraged the agribusiness sector, and the demand for regional products in large urban centers is rapidly growing. On order to expand the consumer market, it is necessary to develop new products with these fruits, e.g., jams, frozen pulps, cookies, food bars, ice cream, enriched flour, etc. (Carmo et al., 2012; Dias et al., 2003; Guedes et al., 2017; Dliveira et al., 2016; Santos & Silva, 2012; Silva et al., 2014a). Large amount of wastes, such as husks and seeds are discarded during the processing of fruits, and there is very little information on the exploitation of these by-products, thus, requiring further characterization. Annonaceae is a very common fruit family in Brazil, featuring a wide variety of exotic fruits, such as sweetsop (Annona squamosa), cherimoya (Annona cherimola Mill.), soursop (Annona muricata), and araticum or marolo (Annona crassiflora Mart.). Plants of the Annonaceae family are very important sources of edible fruit and perfume materials, being historically used by indigenous people in traditional medicine due to their antitumor, antiparasitic, and antidiarrheal activity (Santos Pimenta et al., 2003). Araticum (A. crassiflora), also known as marolo, is an exotic fruit found in the Brazilian Savannah (Cerrado) with high nutritional value and great technological potential. The ethanolic extracts of the seeds and husks of araticum showed excellent antioxidant activity when compared to other fruits (Roesler et al., 2006). Soursop (A. muricata) is a fruit originated in the tropical regions of South and Central America. The growing demand for this fruit has been attributed to its sensory characteristics. Soursop seeds contain a considerable amount of antioxidants (Silva & Jorge, 2014), are rich in oil and protein (Fasakin et al., 2008). The physical and chemical characterization and quantification of bioactive compounds present in these fruits seeds are important for their application in the development of pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and food products, as well as for understanding their nutritional value. The seeds, generally containing essential nutrients, also comprise a number of micronutrients, such as minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants (Luzia & Jorge, 2014). Some food contain compounds with antioxidant properties, which protect the human body against several chronic degenerative diseases (Souza et al., 2012). On the literature, several studies Assessment of chemical, nutritional and bioactive properties of Annona crassiflora and Annona muricata wastes