Effects of "Bacuri" Seed Butter (Platonia insignis Mart.) on Metabolic Parameters in Hamsters with Diet-Induced Hypercholesterolemia

Bacuri (Platonia insignis Mart.): Nutritional values, volatile compounds, rheological properties, health benefits, and potential products

The bacuri is one of the main Amazonian fruits, which is greatly appreciated by local inhabitants due to its characteristic flavor. It offers numerous potential applications in products such as juices, sweets, jams, and yogurts. This review discusses the nutritional values, physicochemical composition, volatile compounds, rheological properties, health benefits, and potential food products obtained from the pulp of bacuri, which contains considerable amounts of bioactive compounds, dietary fibers, minerals, amino acids, among other nutrients, as well as a potential for hypoglycemic compounds. The bacuri has an essentially floral aroma with fruity notes and an attractive exotic flavor. Its major aromatic compounds are linalool, cis-linalool, trans-linalool oxide, and hotrienol. Bacuri pulp presents itself as a non-Newtonian fluid of the pseudoplastic type. The bacuri fruit has not yet attained economic importance due to the lack of studies aimed at expanding the possibilities of post-harvest processing and commercialization.

Thermophysical properties of blends composed of Amazonian fats and soybean oil

Thermophysical properties of blends composed of soybean oil and fats obtained from fruits and seeds from Brazilian Amazonian region (Murumuru, Tucuma, and Bacuri) were investigated, looking for more sustainable alternatives to the mostly used industrial fats, for applications in product formulation. Fatty acid (FA) and triacylglycerol composition, nutritional indexes, solid fat content (SFC), compatibility, consistency, melting, and crystallization profiles were determined. Soybean oil increased blends' unsaturated FA profile, leading to lower SFC, but higher nutritional quality. Fats' melting profiles were significantly altered with soybean oil addition: temperatures decreased with the increase in oil content. Iso-solids diagrams showed that lipids were compatible, which is a technological advantage. SFC and consistency profiles suggested that tucuma and murumuru fats could be used as hardstocks for lipid products, and bacuri fat could be applied in products such as margarine and spreads. Blends could improve fats' spreadability and other technological properties, which is promising for applications in products formulation.

The Role of By-Products of Fruit and Vegetable Processing for the Dietary Treatment of Cardiovascular Risk Factors: A Narrative Review

Polyphenols-rich food has been utilized to induce a positive effect on human health. Considering that fruit and vegetable by-products (seeds, pomace, and peels) are sources of polyphenols, previous studies have investigated the effect of dietary supplementation with food by-products on cardiometabolic disorders, such as high fasting blood glucose, dyslipidemia, and obesity. Endothelial dysfunction has also been considered a cardiometabolic parameter, given that it precedes cardiovascular disease. However, there is a scarcity of narrative reviews reporting the effect of food by-product supplementation on cardiometabolic disorders in animal and human clinical trials. In this sense, the present narrative review aims to investigate the impact of fruit and vegetable by-product supplementation on cardiometabolic disorders in humans and animals, exploring the possible mechanisms whenever possible. Research articles were retrieved based on a search of the following databases: PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar using the following keywords and synonyms combined: (“fruit by-products” or “food waste” or “pomace” or “bagasse” or “seeds” or “waste products”) AND (“heart disease risk factors” or “endothelial dysfunction” or “atherosclerosis”). It was shown that fruit and vegetable by-products could efficiently improve cardiometabolic disorders in patients with chronic diseases, including hypertension, type II diabetes mellitus, and dyslipidemia. Such effects can be induced by the polyphenols present in food by-products. In conclusion, food by-product supplementation has a positive effect on cardiometabolic disorders. However, further studies investigating the effect of food by-products on cardiometabolic disorders in humans are still necessary so that solid conclusions can be drawn.

Effects of "Bacuri" Seed Butter (Platonia insignis Mart.), a Brazilian Amazon Fruit, on Oxidative Stress and Diabetes Mellitus-Related Parameters in STZ-Diabetic Rats

This study aimed to investigate the effects of oral administration of Platonia insignis Mart. ("bacuri") seed butter (BSB) on oxidative stress and diabetes mellitus-related parameters in streptozotocin-induced (STZ) diabetic rats. Diabetes mellitus was induced in female Wistar rats (180-250 g) by the intraperitoneal administration of STZ (45 mg/kg, b.w). BSB (25, 50, and 100 mg/kg) was administered to animals for four weeks. The effect on weight gain, food intake, blood glucose, glycated hemoglobin, hepatic transaminases, plasma and liver TBARS and MPO activity, erythrocyte SOD activity, non-protein sulfhydryl groups (SH-NP), and histopathology of the liver tissue was investigated. BSB at the dose of 100 mg/kg had a positive effect on the reduction in glycated hemoglobin percentage and increased albumin concentration, as well as decreased ALT and AST levels and increased SH-NP liver levels in treated animals compared to normal control rats. Moreover, BSB had no effects on weight gain, food intake, and fasting glucose. Thus, the BSB presented marked properties in improvement of hepatic antioxidant defenses, which demonstrates BSB as a potential hepatoprotective agent in metabolic disorders.