Characterization of açaí (E. oleracea) fruits and its processing residues

ABSTRACT

The aim of this work was to study the source of the açaí residue for its possible commercial applications by characterizing the fruit (fresh and dry mass), and performing an anatomic study of the pericarp from which were identified the origin of the anthocyanins, and fatty acids, and fibers; also the vascular system, its fibers constituents and fibrils were characterized. It was concluded that anthocyanins were located on the epiderm and external parenchyma, and that solids retained on the sieve come from the sclerenchyma, and that the fatty acids come from the storage parenchyma. The vascular tissue was formed by the fibers around 20 mm length. The length distribution of the fibrils had a mean length of 580µm.