Suelen Loesch

Harverters select fruits of the palm Acrocomia aculeata according to pulp color in order to manufacture particular products being this one of the most important characteristics of this fruit in the market. We conducted a study on the physical and chemical characteristics of pulp of A. aculeate of different colors. Pulp color was visually determined including the following colors: yellow, orange, white, brown and pink for the species. We observed a higher proportion of plants (34.3%) with yellow pulp. We did not detect significant differences in physical characteristics of equatorial length (cm), fresh mass of fruits (g), fresh mass of pulp (g) and pulp yield (%) among different pulp colors. We determined the components (g.100 g –1 ) moisture, total fats, proteins, fibers, fixed mineral residues and caloric value (kcal.100g -1 ) of pulps with different colors. Fruits with yellow pulp presented higher fat content (17.5±2.9 g.100 g –1 ) and, consequently, higher caloric value (249.4±30.3 kcal.100g -1 ). Ash content was significantly higher in the white pulp (3.17 g.100g -1 ), compared with other colors. Pulp color does not influence quality, but can be chosen to improve or make the final product more attractive. We confirm the nutritive potential of this native palm.

The Acrocomia totai palm can be found in areas of Cerrado and Pantanal in Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia and Paraguay. Its fruits are used by traditional and rural communities for subsistence or income source. Given the relevance of this genetic resource, we assessed the morphological and agronomic characters and estimated the population density in two physiognomies of the Pantanal. We found variation in all analyzed characters, such as the density of spines on the stipe, coloration of leaves, epicarp and mesocarp. The average number of fruits per bunch was 392.30±134.53, fresh mass (g) of the whole fruit of 15.50±3.87 and, the mesocarp oil content (%) of 14.94±8.06. The population density varied between 48 pls.ha-1 in area of shrubby grassland to 287 pls.ha-1 in open grassland. We estimated yields per hectare of 8.65 t of fruits, 4.77 t of pulp and 270 kg of oil in areas of shrubby grassland and 1.45 t of fruits, 0.8 t of pulp and 50 kg of oil in areas of open grassland. The data demon...

Divergência genética entre espécies de palmeiras Acrocomia Mart. baseada em descritores morfoagronômicos   PAULO HENRIQUE DA SILVA1, SUELEN ALVES VIANNA2, CÁSSIA REGINA LIMONTA CARVALHO3, JOAQUIM ADELINO DE AZEVEDO FILHO4, CARLOS AUGUSTO COLOMBO5   1 Mestrando no Curso de Pós-Graduação em Agricultura Tropical e Subtropical – Genética, Melhoramento e Biotecnologia Vegetal- Instituto Agronômico (IAC). Avenida: Barão de Itapura, 1481, Botafogo, Campinas, SP, Brasil, CEP: 13.020-902.  paulohsmgv@gmail.com 2 Pós Doutoranda no Centro de Pesquisa & Desenvolvimento de Recursos Genéticos Vegetais, Laboratório de Biologia Molecular – Instituto Agronômico (IAC). Avenida: Barão de Itapura, 1481, Botafogo, Campinas, SP, Brasil, CEP: 13.020-902.  suelen.loesch@gmail.com 3 Pesquisadora no Centro de Pesquisa & Desenvolvimento de Recursos Genéticos Vegetais, Laboratório de Fitoquímica – Instituto Agronômico (IAC). Avenida: Barão de Itapura, 1481, Botafogo, Campinas, SP, Brasil, CEP: 13.020-902.  cli...

Harverters select fruits of the palm Acrocomia aculeata according to pulp color in order to manufacture particular products being this one of the most important characteristics of this fruit in the market. We conducted a study on the physical and chemical characteristics of pulp of A. aculeate of different colors. Pulp color was visually determined including the following colors: yellow, orange, white, brown and pink for the species. We observed a higher proportion of plants (34.3%) with yellow pulp. We did not detect significant differences in physical characteristics of equatorial length (cm), fresh mass of fruits (g), fresh mass of pulp (g) and pulp yield (%) among different pulp colors. We determined the components (g.100 g–1) moisture, total fats, proteins, fibers, fixed mineral residues and caloric value (kcal.100g-1) of pulps with different colors. Fruits with yellow pulp presented higher fat content (17.5±2.9 g.100 g–1) and, consequently, higher caloric value (249.4±30.3 kcal.100g-1). Ash content was significantly higher in the white pulp (3.17 g.100g-1), compared with other colors. Pulp color does not influence quality, but can be chosen to improve or make the final product more attractive. We confirm the nutritive potential of this native palm.

Acrocomia (Arecaceae) is a genus widely distributed in tropical and subtropical America that has been achieving economic interest due to the great potential of oil production of some of its species. In particular A. aculeata, due to its vocation to supply oil with the same productive capacity as the oil palm (Elaeis guineenses) even in areas with water deficit. Although eight species are recognized in the genus, the taxonomic classification based on morphology and geographic distribution is still controversial. Knowledge about the genetic diversity and population structure of the species is limited, which has limited the understanding of the genetic relationships and the orientation of management, conservation, and genetic improvement activities of species of the genus. In the present study, we analyzed the genomic diversity and population structure of Acrocomia genus, including 172 samples from seven species, with a focus on A. aculeata with 117 samples covering a wide geographical...

The genus Acrocomia (Arecaceae) is widely distributed in the Neotropics, without consensus on the number of species. The arboreal species are explored in their native countries. To subsidize better use of the observed variation in fruits of different species for product extraction, taxonomy, conservation and genetic improvement, our objective was to characterize biometrically the fruits and anatomically the mesocarp from natural populations of A. aculeata, A. intumescens and A. totai. We observed different colors of epicarp and mesocarp in A. aculeata and A. totai, while the fruits of A. intumescens were light green or yellowish. The fruits of A. aculeata showed diameter considered large (3.9-4.6 cm) and the highest dry mass (26.3-33.5 g), A. intumescens presented intermediate diameter (3.1–3.9 cm) and mass (11.5-18.8 g), and A. totai had the smallest diameter (2.2-3.0 cm) and mass (4.1-11.4 g). The morphoanatomical analysis of the mesocarp did not distinguish the three species. How...