Tocopherols and Fatty Acid Profile in Baru Nuts (Dipteryx Alata Vog.), Raw and Roasted: Important Sources in Nature that Can Prevent Diseases

Brazil has extensive biodiversity in their biomes, where the Cerrado, vegetation of the Brazilian interior, contributes a nutritional and medicinal potential still unexplored. The reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and secondary complications, which stand out with a higher incidence rate and prevalence on the world stage, have been positively associated with the consumption of fruits, vegetables and rich oil seeds of antioxidan ts. This protective potential is attributed to the presence of bioactive compounds that exert antioxidant activity, preventing risks to biological systems. Studies have shown that the constituents of plant foods have recognized ability to chelate divalent metals involved in the production of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS), which can prevent damage to the organism and the onset of diseases. Recent studies have shown that daily supplementation with Baru nuts [Dipteryx alata Vog.] reduced oxidative stress induced by iron in rats protecting biological systems from the harmful effects of free radicals. Baru (Dipteryx alata Vog) is a fruit that contains inside nuts with exploration of possibilities for food and pharmaceutical in dustry, due to the antioxidant content of their bioactive compounds and lipid profile, rich in unsaturated fatty acids. This study aimed to identify by chromatography, the fatty acid profile and tocopherols content in baru nuts, with or without peels, and to evaluate the effect of the roasting process on this composition and antioxidant action. The lipid content in the roasted nuts without peel was 40.2±0.8 mg/100g and in the nuts with peel was 48.6±1.3g/100g. The total content of tocopherols ranged from 2. 0±0. 2 at 2.7±0.1 mg/100g in the nuts with peel and without peel . The lipid content in roasted nuts without peels was 40.2±0.8 mg/100 g and that in raw nuts with peels was 48.6±1.3 g/100 g. The total tocopherol content ranged from 2.0±0.2 to 2.7±0.1 mg/100 g in roasted nuts with peels and in raw nuts with peels, respectively. Oleic (C18: 1), linoleic (C18: 2), linolenic (C18: 3), elaidic (C20: 1) and tetracosenoic acids (C24: 1) were the major unsaturated fatty acids, representing approximately 81% of the f atty acids of the nuts, and of these, the oleic and linoleic acids were the major fatty acids. It was concluded that the heat treatment used does not significantly affect the fatty acid profile and tocopherols content Baru nuts, with and without peels, pre serving its antioxidant activity along with other bioactive compounds contained therein and previously studied and identified.