Chemical composition of umbu (Spondias tuberosa Arr. Cam) seeds

• Autor(a) principal: Borges,Soraia Vilela
• Data de Publicação: 2007
• Outros Autores: Maia,Maria Cristina Antun, Gomes,Rita de Cássia Morgado, Cavalcanti,Nilton Brito
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Química Nova (Online)
• Texto Completo: http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0100-40422007000100011
• topic: umbu (Spondias tuberosa Arr. Cam.); chemical composition; seeds

The umbu tree (Spondias tuberosa Arr. Cam) is an important fruit tree the economy of the semi-arid northeastern region of Brazil. With the objective of finding use for the seeds, physical and chemical characterizations of the seeds from 2 cultivars in 2 maturation stages were carried out and their fatty acid and mineral profiles determined. The results showed no differences between the seeds analyzed. The yield was about 10% and the dimensions as follows: length from 1.48 to 2.11 cm and width from 0.76 to 1.16 cm. The average lipid content was 55% of which 69% was unsaturated and the average protein content was 24%. The seeds were a good source of the following minerals: P, K, Mg, Fe and Cu. The overall results indicated that the oil or the seeds could be used for food stuffs if no toxic agents were found.