Accessing the nutritional variability of Butia odorata: a food with identity

Abstract

Butia odorata (Arecaceae) is a palm species in southern Brazil and eastern Uruguay, which produces tasty fruits consumed by humans and animals. Despite the ecological and sociocultural relevance of the species, B. odorata is endangered by extinction. This study aimed to characterize physical aspects, chromatic parameters, chemical, and centesimal composition and determine the bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity of fruits of B. odorata. Fifteen accessions of B. odorata from Pelotas and Capão do Leão (RS-Brazil) were evaluated for bunches weight, fruit yield, fruit diameter and height, total soluble solids (TSS), pH, total titratable acidity (TTA), TSS/TST ratio, color parameters, total phenolic compounds, total carotenoids, antioxidant activity, percentage of moisture, dry matter, vitamin C, crude fiber, fat, ash, protein and pulp yield. There was genetic variability among the analyzed accessions for several parameters. Some of them influence consumer acceptance, such as coloration and sugar content, which highlights the possibility of selection for genetic improvement. The fruits showed a rich composition in fibers, vitamin C, total carotenoids, and total phenolic content, which contribute to health maintenance. With the growing demand for functional foods, Butia fruits represent a potential product for nutritional enrichment in diets.

Phenotypic and molecular basis for genetic variation in jelly palms (Butia sp.): where are we now and where are we headed to?

“…Sinapic and ellagic acid, trans-reveratrol, naringenin and apigenin were reported for the first time (Boeing et al, 2020). The fruits of B. odorata showed a rich composition in fiber, vitamin C, total carotenoids, and total phenolic content (Wagner et al, 2022).…”

“…Butia species have been frequently studied for their physicochemical profile and antioxidant capacity. Studies have shown that jelly palms are rich in phenolic compounds, carotenoids, anthocyanins, tocopherols, minerals, vitamins, amino acids, and fatty acids (Faria et al, 2008b;Pierezana et al, 2015;Kobelnik et al, 2016;Barbosa et al, 2021;Morais et al, 2022;Wagner et al, 2022). In B. capitata, the distinct stages of ripening and storage conditions influenced compounds such as acetic acid, (E)-and (Z)-hex-2-enal, methoxyphenyloxyme, (E)-β-ocimene, α-fenchene and octyl methyl ether (Aguiar et al, 2014).…”