Fatty acid profiles and tocopherol contents of buriti (Mauritia flexuosa), patawa (Oenocarpus bataua), tucuma (Astrocaryum vulgare), mari (Poraqueiba paraensis) and inaja (Maximiliana maripa) fruits

Abstract

Amazonian fruits are rich in fat but have a fatty acid profile that may be beneficial in relation to risk of coronary heart disease. Amazonian fruits also contain other potentially cardioprotective constituents including tocopherols. Tocopherol profiles were determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and fatty acid profiles were determined by gas chromatography (GC). In the present study, the total oil content, fatty acid composition and tocopherol content of the pulps of five Amazonian fruits (buriti, patawa, tucuma, mari and inaja) were measured. The total oil content of the fruits ranged from 31.0 to 41.8%. The major fatty acid in all of the fruits was oleic acid (C18:1), though substantial levels of palmitic acid (C16:0) were present. Linoleic acid (C18:2) was the main polyunsatured fatty acid observed. α-Tocopherol was the most prevalent tocopherol except in buriti pulp. Buriti and mari pulp have a high content in α-tocopherols with 297 and 155 µg g-1 of dry matter. Our data indicate that all five of these Amazonian fruits are good sources of unsaturated fatty acids and tocopherols.