Desenvolvimento e caracterização da Pasta de Monguba (Pachira aquatica)

Abstract

Unconventional food plants (UFP) are plants that have one or more edible parts, whether spontaneous or cultivated, native or exotic that are not included in our daily menu. The search for and greater attention to the diversification of plant species and their possibilities of use has gained more and more importance, since food security is everyone's right and food practices that promote health, respect cultural diversity and are social, economically and environmentally sustainable correspond to this idea. The objective of the present work was to elaborate and characterize a paste of monguba (Pachira aquatica). The fruits were harvested in the city of Natal-RN, sent to the UNI-RN laboratory. Monguba almonds were used for the preparation of the paste, followed by cooking and discarding the water, twice, to remove the anti-nutritional factors, and adding lemon and salt. Then it was homogenized in a blender with the addition of water from the second cooking. With this, the analysis of proximate composition took place, with the determination of the contents of moisture, ash, protein, lipids and carbohydrates. At the end, the caloric value of the pulp was obtained and the comparison with a known and commercial pulp. The moisture results were 4.61% determined by the oven drying method, the ash was 1.16% obtained through muffle incineration, the proteins were 10.24% generated by the Kjeldahl method, the For lipids 60.23% was used the continuous extraction method, whereas for carbohydrates 23.76% was made by difference. The caloric value obtained was 678Kcal in 100g of the product and when compared with the pecan nut paste, it was observed that the paste made in this study had a lower caloric and lipid value in addition to having a higher amount of protein in its composition. Therefore, with the analyzes and comparisons, a great potential was observed that is not explored in the fruit that was the object of research, and it can also be said that monguba and its seeds are promising for the production of pastes.