Chemical Composition and Glycemic Index of Brazilian Pine (Araucaria angustifolia) Seeds

Abstract

The seeds of Parana pine (Araucaria brasiliensis syn. Araucaria angustifolia), named pinhão, are consumed after cooking and posterior dehulling, or they are used to prepare a flour employed in regional dishes. Native people that live in the South of Brazil usually consume baked pinhão. As a result of cooking, the white seeds become brown on the surface due to the migration of some tinted compounds present in the seed coat. In this work, the proximate composition, minerals, flavonoids, and glycemic index (GI) of cooked and raw pinhão seeds were compared. No differences in moisture, lipids, soluble fiber, and total starch after boiling were found. However, the soluble sugars and P, Cu, and Mg contents decreased, probably as a consequence of leaching in the cooking water. Also, the boiling process modified the profile of the phenolic compounds in the seeds. No flavonols were detected in raw pinhão seeds. The internal seed coat had a quercetin content five times higher than that of the external seed coat; also, quercetin migrated into the seed during cooking. The internal seed coat had a high content of total phenolics, and seeds cooked in normal conditions (with the seed coat) showed a total phenolics content five times higher than that of seeds cooked without the seed coat. Cooking was then extremely favorable to pinhão seeds bioactive compounds content. The carbohydrate availability was evaluated in a short-term assay in humans by the GI. The GI of pinhão seeds cooked with the coat (67%) was similar to that of the seeds cooked without a coat (62%) and lower than bread, showing that cooking does not interfere with starch availability. The low glycemic response can be partly due to its high content of resistant starch (9% of the total starch).

The effect of acid hydrolysis on the technological functional properties of pinhão (Araucaria brasiliensis) starch

“…In a previous study, Cordenunsi et al (2004) showed that the native pinhão starch has interesting structural and functional characteristics as a new source of starch; the granules had a low protein (3%) and lipids content (1.3%) and an amylose content of 26%. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of chemical modifications (acid hydrolysis) on the technological functional properties of pinhão starch.…”

“…The seed of this tree, harvested from April to August, is known as pinhão, and it is most commonly eaten after being cooked and peeled. Pinhão is also used as raw flour as an ingredient for several dishes, and is considered a source of starch (~36%), dietary fiber, magnesium and copper, besides producing a low glycemic index after its consume (CORDENUNSI et al, 2004). Although nutritional and technological aspects of pinhão are scarce in the scientific literature, recent studies suggest that the Araucaria seed is a potential alternative source of starch extraction for industrial purposes (CORDENUNSI et al, 2004;BELLO-PEREZ et al, 2006;STAHL et al, 2007).…”

Antioxidants extraction from Pinhão ( Araucaria angustifolia (Bertol.) Kuntze) coats and application to zein films

“…Residual pinhão coats, which represent about 20% of the weight (Conforti & Lupano, 2008;Cordenunsi et al, 2004), has also been attracting interest due to its antioxidant properties and potential biological activity. da Mota et al (2014) obtained methanolic extracts from the shell and pulp of A. angustifolia seeds and identified in both extracts the presence of molecules with free radicals-trapping ability (e.g.…”

Late Holocene Vegetation History and Early Evidence of Araucaria angustifolia in Caçapava do Sul in the Lowland Region of Rio Grande do Sul State, Southern Brazil

“…According to the survey on the distribution of Araucaria angustifolia in Brazil by Hueck (1953Hueck ( , 1966, there is no evidence of the natural distribution of this tree in the lowlands of Rio Grande do Sul. It is therefore possible that this occurrence is due to post-Columbian settlers, which would have planted these trees on their lowland farms for wood as well as for the nutrient supply provided by the seeds (Cordenunsi et al 2004;Bello-Perez et al 2006). First settlers from Portugal arrived to the region during the early 19 th century (Corrêa 2013).…”