Comparison of physical-chemical parameters of fresh and dehydrated amazonian fruits pulps from different regions

The Amazon forest has several native species of fruit plants that have economic, technological and functional potential. The fruits tucumã, buriti and peach palm, although well known regionally, are economically underutilized. For prospecting the fruits valorization in the Amazon and its industrialization, it is necessary to address the variation in the chemical composition of the fruits which contribute to many desirable qualities of foods, including attributes of texture, structure, mouthfeel, flavor, and color. This work contributes with data on the physicochemical characterization, including the proximate composition, pH, acidity, water activity, and colorimetric parameters, in the pulp and flour of tucuma, buritit and pupunha fruits collected in three regions of the state of Amazonas. The results obtained demonstrated significant differences between the same fruits from different regions mainly in relation to macronutrients lipids, protein and carbohydrates and also to color parameters, which contribute to many desirable quality attributes of foods. Considering the lipid content, in the tucumã pulp it varied from 22 % to 32.91%, in the buriti pulp from 20.31% to 27.72% and in the peach palm pulp from 2.12% to 5.55%. For the other parameters analyzed, significant differences were also observed in the fruits collected in different regions. To use these fruits in new business opportunities related to food production, the variability in the chemical composition on pulps and flours reported here should be taken into account and mitigated for production of standardized food on an enlarged scale.