Guazuma ulmifolia Lam, an alternative biomass natural source of fiber and fructose for biotechnological applications

Objective: To evaluate, from the fruit of Guazuma ulmifolia L., its fructose content, its analytical constituents and also the functional groups present in the extract of its seed, with the aim of carrying out future biotechnological applications. Design/methodology/approach: In this work, the peel and seed extract, as well as the fiber obtained from the dried fruit of the tree of Guazuma ulmifolia L. From the peel extract, fructose and glucose were identified by the high-performance liquid chromatography, fructose was quantified by using a refractometer, the seed extract was analyzed by the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy technique, and the dry fiber was evaluated bromatological to determine the analytical constituents. Results: High-performance liquid chromatography results corroborated the presence of fructose and glucose with retention times of 2.1 and 2.4 minutes, respectively. The greater area under the chromatogram for the retention time of 2.1 minutes indicated that the highest sugar concentration corresponds to fructose. The concentration of fructose in the extract obtained was 0.127 g/mL at the beginning of the extraction and 1.747 g/mL at the end of the extraction (110 minutes). The bromatological study indicated that the remaining biomass had a crude fiber content of 35.4% and a crude protein content of 7.12%. Limitations on study/implications: Being a seasonal fruit, an important limitation for this research work was the conservation and storage of the Guazuma ulmifolia L. fruit to carry out the different studies. Findings/conclusions: These results indicate that the biomass of Guazuma ulmifolia L., mainly from the dried fruit, is rich in carbohydrates and crude fiber with a potential for alternative application in livestock fodder, as well as its sugars as an alternative feed for honey bees.