Armazenamento de frutos de baru (Dipteryx alata Vogel): manejo integrado de pragas e o efeito de diferentes temperaturas

Abstract

The baru chestnut (Dipteryx alata Vogel) is an oilseed family belonging to the Fabaceae family, native to the Cerrado, high protein and lipid content, mainly in unsaturated fatty acids, being considered an oilseed of high nutritional value. The baru is a seasonal fruit, being produced only once a year, which requires an adequate planning regarding storage in order to maintain the quality of its almonds for consumption. In this sense, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of time and storage temperature on the chemical physical quality of fruit almonds submitted to preventive pest treatment. The fruits were collected in the municipality of Campo Grande, sanitized and hydrothermally treated for pest prevention, packed in ráfia bags and stored under two conditions: room temperature and air-conditioned environment at 18 °C. The times of 0, 60, 120, 180 days were evaluated for insect damage, water content, determination of total phenols, tannins, antioxidant activity, lipid profile, acidity, peroxide and iodine indices, oxidative stability by Rancimat. During storage, no presence of pests on the fruits or insect damage was observed in the almonds. Hydrothermal treatment led to a reduction in the total content of phenols and antioxidant activity. The fatty acids found in higher percentages in baru almonds were oleic and linoleic acids, whose contents did not differ during the different temperatures and storage times. In relation to the quality and identity indexes of almond oil, no statistical differences were observed in relation to storage temperature. The oxidative stability of baru oil samples was 6.45h. It’s concluded that the physical and chemical characteristics during the post-harvest were preserved during the storage time regardless of the storage temperature used.