NUTRITIONAL POTENTIAL AND PHYSICOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF COCO PLUM

Abstract

The Brazilian horticulture has faced a constant growth rate, which could be higher if less economically exploited native species were considered. Among them, the coco plum, a not very well-known fruit, but with good acceptance by the resident population where the shrubs grow spontaneously, stands out. The objective of this study was to disseminate information concerning the morphometric features, nutritional information, and physicochemical parameters of this fruit, in order to encourage its use in the traditional diet. The fruits were harvested at the Massambaba shoal, in Arraial do Cabo, Rio de Janeiro State, Brasil, at the 2009 harvest. The results revealed a fruit average weight of 9.40±1.35 g, whereas, for the seeds, it ranged from 2.9 g to 3.17 g. For seeds length and diameter, an average of 2.04±0.26 cm and 2.26±0.25 cm were respectively observed, with yield of 70% for the pulp, 10ºBrix, and low acidity, besides a high humidity content (84.40±0.15 g 100 g-1), low lipids (0.85±0,07 g 100 g-1) and proteins (0.68±0,01 g 100 g-1) levels, and total alimentary fiber of 2.63±0.08 g 100 g-1. The results provided a better knowledge on the coco plum nutritional information, specially concerning the presence of chromium, selenium, calcium, and iron.

KEY-WORDS: Chrysobalanus icaco; exotic fruits; nutritional information.