Propriedades físico-químicas de frutos de jurubeba de três regiões do cerrado

Abstract

Jurubeba is a solanaceae species widespread throughout tropical America, being native from the North and Northeast regions of Brazil. Its fruits are used in cooking, in folk medicine for the treatment of liver and gastric disorders. The plant has the potential of biocontrol against plant pathogens and pests of agronomic importance. Before their benefits and importance and because of the scarcity of studies related to this specie, the aim of this study was to characterize the physical and chemical parameters of jurubeba fruit, collected from the different Cerrado regions (Goiânia and Itapuranga in the Goiás State and Araguari in the Minas Gerais State). The fruit mass, longitudinal diameter (LD), transverse diameter (TD), DL/TD, pH, soluble solids, titratable acidity and number of seeds per fruit were measured. In the seeds were determined the thousand seed mass and moisture content. The characterization of the fruits of jurubeba allowed the conclusion that they present a round shape, with an average number of seeds between 140-403 and average fruit mass from 0.67 to 1.87 g. There is a correlation between the number of seeds per fruit and its size. The fruits of jurubeba are low acidity high content of soluble solids.