CHEMICAL AND PHYSICAL EVALUATION OF BARU (Dipteryx alata Vog.) COMPONENTS FOR SHELF LIFE STUDY

Agroecology, a science that studies productive relations between man and nature, and whose goal is ecological, economic, social, cultural, political, and ethical sustainability, has been increasingly used as a tool for social and cultural transformation. Within that perspective, the Brazilian Cerrado provides fruits such as baru, which is highly genetically variable, but also widely used as a source of income by the regional population. The objective of this study was to evaluate the chemical and physical characteristics of baru pulp, along a 181-day storage period. For that purpose, weight and size analyses, centesimal analysis, monitoring of changes, and sensorial analysis of dry biscuits, in which 25% of the wheat flour was replaced by baru pulp, were carried out. Physical characteristics such as weight, length, and width did not present significant differences, during the storage period. The level of total sugars and reducers increased during the storage period, unlike the tannin level, which decreased. Baru pulp may be considered an important source of sugars and dietary fiber. In addition, the biscuits obtained satisfactory scores for both taste and appearance, on the acceptability test, and their nutritional quality increased. KEY-WORDS: Baru; pulp; physical and chemical analyses; kinetics; sensorial analysis.