Açaí (Euterpe oleraceae) ‘BRS Pará’: A tropical fruit source of antioxidant dietary fiber and high antioxidant capacity oil

Abstract

This article reports a study of the concentrations of dietary fiber (DF) and antioxidant capacity in fruits (pulp and oil) of a new açaí (Euterpe oleraceae) cultivar—‘BRS-Pará’, with a view to determine the possibility of using it as a source of antioxidants in functional foods or dietary supplements. Results show that ‘BRS-Pará’ açaí fruits has a high content of DF (71% dry matter) and oil (20.82%) as well as a high antioxidant capacity in both defatted matter and oil. ‘BRS-Pará’ Açaí fruits can be considered as an excellent source of antioxidant dietary fiber. Antioxidant capacity of açaí ‘BRS-Pará’ oil by DPPH assay was higher (EC subscript 50 = 646.3 g/g DPPH) than extra virgin olive oil (EC subscript 50 = 2057.27 g/g DPPH). These features provide açaí ‘BRS-Pará’ fruits with considerable potential for nutritional and health applications