Functional Fruit Trees from the Atlantic and Amazon Forests: Selection of Potential Chestnut Trees Rich in Antioxidants, Nutrients, and Fatty Acids
Caroline Palacio de Araujo,
Ingridh Medeiros Simões,
Thuanny Lins Monteiro Rosa,
Tamyris de Mello,
Guilherme Bravim Canal,
Adésio Ferreira,
João Paulo Bestete de Oliveira,
Edilson Romais Schmildt,
José Carlos Lopes,
Tércio da Silva de Souza,
Wagner Campos Otoni,
Patrícia Fontes Pinheiro,
Fábio Junior Moreira Novaes,
Fabricio Gomes Gonçalves,
Alexandre Rosa dos Santos,
Rodrigo Sobreira Alexandre
Affiliations
Caroline Palacio de Araujo
Center of Agricultural Sciences and Engineering, Federal University of Espírito Santo/UFES, Alto Universitário, s/n, Alegre 29500-000, ES, Brazil
Ingridh Medeiros Simões
Center of Agricultural Sciences and Engineering, Federal University of Espírito Santo/UFES, Alto Universitário, s/n, Alegre 29500-000, ES, Brazil
Thuanny Lins Monteiro Rosa
Center of Agricultural Sciences and Engineering, Federal University of Espírito Santo/UFES, Alto Universitário, s/n, Alegre 29500-000, ES, Brazil
Tamyris de Mello
Center of Agricultural Sciences and Engineering, Federal University of Espírito Santo/UFES, Alto Universitário, s/n, Alegre 29500-000, ES, Brazil
Guilherme Bravim Canal
Center of Agricultural Sciences and Engineering, Federal University of Espírito Santo/UFES, Alto Universitário, s/n, Alegre 29500-000, ES, Brazil
Adésio Ferreira
Center of Agricultural Sciences and Engineering, Federal University of Espírito Santo/UFES, Alto Universitário, s/n, Alegre 29500-000, ES, Brazil
João Paulo Bestete de Oliveira
Federal Institute of Espírito Santo, Campus Alegre, BR 482, Km 47, Rive District, Alegre 29500-000, ES, Brazil
Edilson Romais Schmildt
North University Center of Espírito Santo, Federal University of Espírito Santo/UFES, Rodovia Governador Mário Covas, Km 60, São Mateus 29932-540, ES, Brazil
José Carlos Lopes
Center of Agricultural Sciences and Engineering, Federal University of Espírito Santo/UFES, Alto Universitário, s/n, Alegre 29500-000, ES, Brazil
Tércio da Silva de Souza
Federal Institute of Espírito Santo, Campus Alegre, BR 482, Km 47, Rive District, Alegre 29500-000, ES, Brazil
Wagner Campos Otoni
Federal University of Viçosa/UFV, Av. Peter Henry Rolfs, s/n, Viçosa 36570-900, MG, Brazil
Patrícia Fontes Pinheiro
Federal University of Viçosa/UFV, Av. Peter Henry Rolfs, s/n, Viçosa 36570-900, MG, Brazil
Fábio Junior Moreira Novaes
Federal University of Viçosa/UFV, Av. Peter Henry Rolfs, s/n, Viçosa 36570-900, MG, Brazil
Fabricio Gomes Gonçalves
Center of Agricultural Sciences and Engineering, Federal University of Espírito Santo/UFES, Alto Universitário, s/n, Alegre 29500-000, ES, Brazil
Alexandre Rosa dos Santos
Center of Agricultural Sciences and Engineering, Federal University of Espírito Santo/UFES, Alto Universitário, s/n, Alegre 29500-000, ES, Brazil
Rodrigo Sobreira Alexandre
Center of Agricultural Sciences and Engineering, Federal University of Espírito Santo/UFES, Alto Universitário, s/n, Alegre 29500-000, ES, Brazil
The Amazon rainforest and the biodiversity hotspot of the Atlantic Forest are home to fruit trees that produce functional foods, which are still underutilized. The present study aimed to select potential functional nut donor trees from two Brazilian chestnuts, by evaluating the nutritional and antioxidant composition of the nuts and the fatty acid profile of the oil. The nutritional characteristics, antioxidants, oil fatty acid profile, and X-ray densitometry of the nuts were evaluated, as well as the characterization of leaf and soil nutrients for each parent tree. The nut oil was evaluated through Brix (%), mass (g), yield (%), and the fatty acid profile. For L. pisonis, the most nutritious nuts were produced by L. pisonis tree 4 (N > P > K > Mg > Ca > Zn > Fe) and L. pisonis tree 6 (P > Ca > Mg > Mn > Zn > Cu > Fe), and for the species L. lanceolata, L. lanceolata tree 6 (N > P > Ca > Mg > Zn > Fe > Cu) and L. lanceolata tree 2 (P > K > Mg > Zn > Cu). In L. pisonis, the highest production of anthocyanins, DPPH, total phenolics, and flavonoids was obtained from the nuts of L. pisonis tree 4 as well as for L. lanceolata, from L. lanceolata tree 1, except for flavonoids. The Brix of the oil from the nuts of both species showed no difference between the trees and the fatty acid profile with a similar amount between saturated (48–65%) and unsaturated (34–57%) fatty acids. Both species have nuts rich in nutrients and antioxidant compounds and can be considered unconventional functional foods. The data collected in the present study confirm that the nuts of these species can replace other foods as a source of selenium.
