Impact of solar dehydration on composition and antioxidant properties of acai (Euterpe oleracea Mart.).

Commercial products derived from the acai fruit (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) are available in Brazil, but in Venezuela, it is only known by ethnic indigenous groups of the Amazon. In this study, acai flour was made by solar dehydration and the effect of processing on the composition, microbiological quality, and antioxidant properties of such flour were evaluated.

[Characterization of the acai or manaca (Euterpe oleracea Mart.): a fruit of the Amazon].

The objective of this study was to determine the proximal composition, the fatty acid profile, the content of minerals, tannins, polyphenols, anthocyanins, the antioxidant capacity and the color of the acai pulp (Euterpe oleracea Mart) collected in the Venezuelan Amazon from 2 harvests of the year 2005. For the proximal analysis, the official methods were used and the minerals were analyzed by the induced plasma technique. Polyphenols, tannins and anthocyanins were determined by spectrophotometric methods and the antioxidant capacity was analyzed by DPPH method.