Frações de lichia: caracterização química e avaliação de compostos bioativos

Abstract

Litchi is a subtropical to tropical fruit, of the family Sapindaceae, genus Litchi, Litchi chinensis species of high commercial value, although little is known about its chemical composition, especially the shell and seed. The fractions shell, flesh and fresh seed and seed and shell subsequently dried at 45°C of litchi cv. Bengal were analyzed for weight and proportion, chemical constituents: vitamin C, anthocyanins, phenolic compounds, β-carotene, lycopene, antioxidants and antinutrients: nitrate, oxalic acid, trypsin inhibitors, α-amylase and lipase. The shell and seeds have high energy values and total carbohydrates and together represent about 50% of the total fruit. In the shell there is a predominance of monomeric anthocyanins and higher levels of fiber (crude and food), lipids, proteins, nitrate, vitamin C and β-carotene, than in the other fractions fresh. The flesh has a higher acidity, lower pH, higher levels of phenolic compounds and inhibitors of α-amylase, lipase and soluble solids. Oxalic acid was not found in any of the fractions and lycopene was found only in the seed. High antioxidant activities were obtained in the shell and seed. Drying at 45°C influenced the pH and titrable acidity of the seed, and the soluble solids content, as well as the levels of the three enzyme inhibitors. An increase in the activity of the trypsin inhibitor and α-amylase and a decrease in the activity of lipase inhibitory were observed. With drying there was a decrease of the 30% in the anthocyanins of shell, of 89 and 79% of vitamin C (of the shell and seed, respectively), as well as in the antioxidant extracts that were analyzed. An increase in lycopene content of phenol compounds was observed after the drying process. The low levels of antinutrients and high levels of antioxidant and vitamin C found in the shell and seeds allow the use of fractions of litchi as sources of nutrients and natural antioxidants