This study aimed to develop biodegradable films from pectin extracted from pequi mesocarp and commercial pectin. The films were produced using the casting technique and characterized in terms of their physical, water-related, mechanical, thermal, optical, and microstructural properties. The highest yield of pectin extracted from pequi (26.6%) was obtained using 4% citric acid, a temperature of 80 °C, and an extraction time of 160 min. Commercial-pectin films had a smoother and more regular surface than pequi-pectin films. Pequi-pectin films had higher moisture content (36.25%) and water solubility (76.99%) than commercial pectin films. Pequi-pectin films also showed lower luminosity (55.67*) and higher values of a* (11.56), b*(27.35), opacity (10.67), and Young modulus (82.16 Mpa) than commercial-pectin films. The films exhibited similar thermal behavior, highlighting the presence of exothermic and endothermic peaks for both samples. In the biodegradability tests, both films proved to be 100% biodegradable in four days. The pectin extracted from the pequi mesocarp showed potential for the production of biodegradable films, and this discovery opens up new possibilities for using this byproduct as a raw material for the production of sustainable food packaging.

The pequi has an almond with interesting chemical characteristics, such as considerable proportions of proteins and lipids that can be applied in several products aiming to use this agro-industrial residue. This research tookadvantage of the almond for the development of sweet paçoca with different concentrations of pequi almond, containing 0% (PA), 25% (P1), 50% (P2), 75% (P3), and 100% (P4) in place of peanuts. The paçocas were evaluated for proximate parameters and water activity, mineral content, color parameters, microbiological characteristics, and texture profile. The results for aw ranged from 0.48 to 0.52. In the proximate composition, it was observed that with the increase of the almond flour there was a difference in the ash, moisture, and protein contents. Due to the almond roasting process, the paçocas of pequi presented the darkest color. Pequi almond paçocas showed better protein value than peanut paçoca and higher levels of P and Mg. In addition, they present better elasticity, chewability, and cohesiveness.