Search Results (19)

The current rise in global population and the subsequent demand for food supply to meet the current population has directed the attention of researchers towards sustainable, plant-based sources, particularly underutilized crops. Bactris gasipaes is one such underutilized crop with significant functional food value. During processing, 84% of the total weight of the palm is discarded in the form of waste, or so-called by-products, which are a rich source of bioactive compounds. These compounds can be effectively recovered through modern extraction and valorization techniques. This review critically examines the extraction methods, nutritional profiles, and valorization opportunities of peach palm, highlighting both traditional uses and innovative processing strategies. Recent advances enable the targeted recovery of multiple peach palm fractions, e.g., proteins are commonly extracted using alkaline methods, lipids and carotenoids via green solvents or supercritical CO₂, and starch and dietary fiber through hydrothermal or downstream separation processes. Key nutritional findings demonstrate that peach palm fractions offer significant protein content (with isolates reaching 40 to 60%), a favorable starch profile (up to 79%), and abundant unsaturated lipids and carotenoids, making them suitable for gluten-free, protein-enriched, and functional ingredient applications. Previous studies have focused mainly on the edible pulp of peach palm for protein, lipid, and carotenoid extraction, whereas other fractions such as peel, seed, and processing residues remain comparatively underexplored due to technological and safety constraints. This review provides a consolidated and critical overview of recent advances in fractionation and green extraction strategies for multiple value-added streams (proteins, lipids, carotenoids, starch, and dietary fiber), highlighting knowledge gaps and opportunities for sustainable food ingredient development. Full article

The methodological frameworks applied in the Colombian Amazon to study emerging agri-food systems are insufficient, as they often employ linear models that fail to recognize the importance of small-scale producer networks that depend on the integration and cooperation of other actors to form part of a value chain. In this study, the value network (VN) perspective was applied to characterize four Amazonian fruits identified as emerging agricultural economies in rural communities: Seje (Oenocarpus bataua), Asaí (Euterpe precatoria), Moriche (Mauritia flexuosa), and Peach palm (Bactris gasipaes). The research was conducted in the Amazonian department of Guaviare, where economic momentum around value networks of Amazonian fruits has emerged in recent years. The framework proposed by Sprinzer-Heinze was adapted, using the social, economic, institutional, and environmental dimensions instead of linear chains to analyze the value networks (VNs). Data collection combined participatory workshops, surveys, and interviews with key actors involved throughout the value network, and an index was constructed to compare the networks and identify their strengths and weaknesses. The study was complemented with social network analyses to assess the levels of cooperation among key actors across each product’s value network. The findings reveal that value networks have emerged as an institutional attempt to implement a strategy aimed at enhancing rural livelihoods and promoting economic initiatives with a lower impact on deforestation. Nevertheless, further actions are required to strengthen such networks, as their performance remains weak in aspects such as environmental sustainability, technological upgrading, innovation, and institutional and social support. Social network analysis revealed a common structure characterized by interconnections among producers, associations, and institutions across all value networks. However, these actors need to develop a more robust network culture to better coordinate their actions and ensure long-term sustainability. Full article

Peach palm (Bactris gasipaes) is an underutilized Amazonian crop with emerging relevance for plant-based food systems. Global demand for plant-based products continues to expand, reaching USD 28.38 billion in 2024, yet current formulations rely on a narrow set of ingredients with limitations in nutritional quality, functionality, sustainability, and supply-chain resilience. This review synthesizes quantitative evidence on the nutritional composition (carbohydrates 30–72% dm, protein 2–8% dm, lipids 2–14% dm), fatty acid profile, mineral density, and bioactive compounds (carotenoids up to 800 µg/g dm; phenolics 60–90 mg GAE/100 g dm) of peach palm fruit. Techno-functional properties relevant for plant-based applications, such as emulsification, water-binding, and structural contributions in bakery products and meat analogues, are critically examined, along with the effects of processing on nutrient retention and antinutrient reduction. The review also evaluates sustainability attributes and identifies key limitations, including regional cultivation, sensory constraints, and economic and technological barriers. By integrating nutritional, technological, and ecological perspectives, this work highlights the potential of peach palm as a diversified ingredient source and outlines research gaps necessary for future industrial adoption. Full article

Mapping banana and peach palm in heterogeneous landscapes remains challenging due to spatial heterogeneity, spectral similarities between crops and native vegetation, and persistent cloud cover. This study focused on the municipality of Jacupiranga, located within the Ribeira Valley region and surrounded by the Atlantic Forest, which is home to one of Brazil’s largest remaining continuous forest areas. More than 99% of Jacupiranga’s agricultural output in the 21st century came from bananas (Musa spp.) and peach palms (Bactris gasipaes), underscoring the importance of perennial crops to the local economy and traditional communities. Using a time series of vegetation indices from Sentinel-2 imagery combined with field and remote data, we used a hierarchical classification method to map where these two crops are cultivated. The Random Forest classifier fed with 10 m resolution images enabled the detection of intricate agricultural mosaics that are typical of family farming systems and improved class separability between perennial and non-perennial crops and banana and peach palm. These results show how combining geographic information systems, data analysis, and remote sensing can improve digital agriculture, rural management, and sustainable agricultural development in socio-environmentally important areas. Full article

Peach palm (Bactris gasipaes Kunth) is a long-lived tropical palm valued for its edible, nutritious fruits. The cultivation area of peach palm, which was introduced to Thailand for fruit production, has been steadily expanding. Small brown spots that expanded into irregular lesions with dark margins were first observed on B. gasipaes seedlings in commercial nurseries in Phetchaburi Province, southern Thailand. To identify the causal pathogens, ten fungal isolates were obtained from symptomatic leaves and subjected to pathogenicity tests, confirming their ability to cause the disease. Morphological and molecular analyses identified five isolates as Colletotrichum fructicola (BGC02.2, BGC03) and C. theobromicola (BGC01, BGC02.1, BGC04) and five isolates as Fusarium pernambucanum (BGF01, BGF02, BGF03, BGF04.1, BGF04.2). Phylogenetic analysis was based on act, cal, gapdh, ITS, and tub2 regions for Colletotrichum spp. and cal, rpb2, and tef1-α for Fusarium spp. In vitro fungicide assays revealed that C. fructicola and C. theobromicola were the most sensitive to carbendazim, mancozeb, and prochloraz, while F. pernambucanum was effectively inhibited by mancozeb and prochloraz. This study represents the first report of C. fructicola, C. theobromicola, and F. pernambucanum causing leaf spot disease on B. gasipaes in Thailand, providing essential insights for disease management strategies in the region. Full article

Abstract: The production of ethanol from wastes resulting from the process of growing Amazonian fruit is a little-explored approach, in which unknown chemical compounds are released with potential for industrial application. This work aimed to produce lignocellulosic ethanol from waste from Amazonian fruit farming and to chemically characterize the stages of the process. The wastes (açaí seeds, mango peel, and peach palm peel) were pretreated with 1% to 5% H₂SO₄ and 15% solids; the resulting solid fraction was enzymatically hydrolyzed with cellulase at 20 FPU, and the liquid fraction (liqueurs) and enzymatic and fermented hydrolysates produced were chemically characterized. Via HPLC for sugars and fermentation inhibitors, we determined the antioxidant capacities and total phenolic compounds. The liquors from the pretreatment of açaí seeds released the most significant amount of glucose, while in the hydrolyzed solid fractions, the mango peel produced the highest glucose content. Among the fermented liquors, the highest ethanol content was the açaí seed at 15 and 5% (0.183–0.276 g/L). High glucose levels were produced (0.09–25.05 g/L) and provided ethanol levels that can be improved (0.061–10.62 g/L), in addition to liquors and hydrolysates with interesting amounts of phenolic compounds (14.04–131.87 mg EAG/g DM) and high antioxidant capacities (417.78–2774.07 mmol TEAC/g), demonstrating that these wastes can have other applications in addition to ethanol production. Full article

When looking for new ingredients to process red meat, poultry, and fish products, it is essential to consider using vegetable resources that can replace traditional ingredients such as animal fat and synthetic antioxidants that may harm health. The Amazon, home to hundreds of edible fruit species, can be a viable alternative for new ingredients in processing muscle food products. These fruits have gained interest for their use as natural antioxidants, fat replacers, colorants, and extenders. Some of the fruits that have been tested include açai, guarana, annatto, cocoa bean shell, sacha inchi oil, and peach palm. Studies have shown that these fruits can be used as dehydrated products or as liquid or powder extracts in doses between 250 and 500 mg/kg as antioxidants. Fat replacers can be added directly as flour or used to prepare emulsion gels, reducing up to 50% of animal fat without any detrimental effects. However, oxidation problems of the gels suggest that further investigation is needed by incorporating adequate antioxidant levels. In low doses, Amazon fruit byproducts such as colorants and extenders have been shown to have positive technological and sensory effects on muscle food products. While evidence suggests that these fruits have beneficial health effects, their in vitro and in vivo nutritional effects should be evaluated in muscle food products containing these fruits. This evaluation needs to be intended to identify safe doses, delay the formation of key oxidation compounds that directly affect health, and investigate other factors related to health. Full article

This study represents a pioneering investigation and comparative analysis of lipid extracts from four different colors of peach palm (Bactris gasipaes Kunt) fruits—red, yellow, green, and white—by employing a green method based on ethanolic ultrasound-assisted extraction. This study examined the extraction yield, physico-chemical-quality attributes, chromatographic profiles (GC), color measurements, total carotenoid content, differential thermogravimetry (TG/DTA), and infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The obtained lipid extracts displayed a high quality, considering the physico-chemical parameters of the Codex Alimentarius, and a fatty acids profile characterized by unsaturated fatty acids, notably omegas (ω-3, ω-6, and ω-9). The indices of atherogenicity (A.I.), thrombogenicity (I.T.), and hypocholesterolemic and hypercholesterolemic ratios revealed superior outcomes for the red peach palm lipid extract (approximately 0.35, 0.52, and 2.75, respectively), along with higher levels of β-carotene (748.36 µg of β-carotene per 100 g⁻¹ of lipid extract) compared to the yellow, green, and white counterparts. Consequently, this research successfully demonstrates the efficacy of using a green extraction method in preserving the lipid’s quality, which can display cardiovascular functionality and thermal stability. These findings underscore the considerable potential of peach palm lipid extract as a valuable raw material for diverse industrial applications across various sectors. The results support its utilization in the production of functional food products and nutraceuticals due to its favorable fatty acid composition, potent antioxidant properties exhibited by its high β-carotene content, and notable cardiovascular functionality indices. Full article

This study aimed to subject the albino peach palm to cooking and drying processes and characterize the raw pulp (RP), cooked pulp (CP), raw pulp flour (RPF), and cooked pulp flour (CPF). The product’s chemical composition, bioactive compounds, and physicochemical, color, thermal, morphological, and functional–technological properties were evaluated. The proximate composition showed that carbohydrates were the main constituents of all the products (69.59–72.08 g/100 g). The cooking process decreased the lipids (10.21 to 8.63 g/100 g), dietary fiber (13.64 to 12.81 g/100 g), and total sugar content (59.18 to 49.10 g/100 g) of the CP. The colorimetric parameters indicated a significant browning of the CP and CPF, which can be attributed to the Maillard reaction and lipid oxidation. After cooking, the total phenolic compound and ascorbic acid content decreased in the pulp. The RPF and CPF displayed different thermogravimetric behaviors. The spectral patterns in the infrared region showed the characteristic bands of organic compounds that are present in the structure of starches. The scanning electron microscopy showed amyloplast and fiber bundles with starches in the RP and gelatinized starch granules in the CP and CPF. The RPF presented small and heterogeneous starch granules with isolated amyloplast. The RPF and CPF showed different granulometric patterns and technological indices. The results suggest that the pulp and flour from the pulp of albino peach palms can be exploited by the food, pharmaceutical, and biotechnological industries. Full article

Pectinases are enzymes used in several industrial processes. Seven agroindustrial wastes—jackfruit seed meal (Artocarpus heterophyllus), cocoa seed peel (Theobroma cacao), cocoa husks (Theobroma cacao), passion fruit husks (Passiflora edulis), mangosteen husks (Garcinia mangostana), malt residue (Hordeum vulgare) and the peach palm waste (Bactris gasipaes Kunth.)—were evaluated to produce a crude extract containing pectinase activity by Penicillium rolfsii CCMB 714. The jackfruit seed meal was chosen as the best substrate for solid-state fermentation, which was optimized with 4 mL of water as a wetting agent for 2 days at 35 °C and with a 0.5% nitrogen source, whereby the pectinase production increased by 44% (362.09 U/g). The obtained crude extract was characterized and applied to wastes saccharification and orange juice clarification. The pectinase showed better activity at a pH of 3.0 to 5.0 and 55 °C, it stably maintained over 80% of activity at 30–50 °C for up to 60 min and 1 mM CuSO₄ increased the pectinase activity by 17%. The saccharification of agroindustrial wastes (cocoa husks, mangosteen husks and passion fruit husks) resulted in 126.55 µmol/mL of reducing sugars from passion fruit husks, which represents an increase of 126% after optimization (45 °C for 22 h). For the clarification of orange juice, it was possible to reduce the absorbance of the juice by 55%. These results elucidate the potential of the low-cost pectinase solution from P. rolfsii CCMB 714 cultivated in jackfruit seed meal for both the enzymatic pretreatment of plant biomass and the application in beverage industries. Full article

This study aimed to evaluate the incorporation of peach palm (PP) pulp and peel flours as substitutes for animal fat (25 and 50% substitution) in beef-based burgers. Incorporation of PP flours reduced hardness, springiness, cohesiveness, chewiness, fat, cooking losses, and diameter reduction. Burgers made with PP peel flour stood out for having low values of lipid oxidation in the two levels of fat substitution (0.14–0.23 malondialdehyde/kg) (p < 0.05). PP fruit has the potential to be utilized as a new ingredient in burgers, but future studies are needed regarding detailed sensory trials and consumer acceptance. Full article

The white-rot fungus Pleurotus ostreatus was used for biological pretreatment of peach palm (Bactris gasipaes) lignocellulosic wastes. Non-treated and treated B. gasipaes inner sheaths and peel were submitted to hydrolysis using a commercial cellulase preparation from T. reesei. The amounts of total reducing sugars and glucose obtained from the 30 d-pretreated inner sheaths were seven and five times higher, respectively, than those obtained from the inner sheaths without pretreatment. No such improvement was found, however, in the pretreated B. gasipaes peels. Scanning electronic microscopy of the lignocellulosic fibers was performed to verify the structural changes caused by the biological pretreatments. Upon the biological pretreatment, the lignocellulosic structures of the inner sheaths were substantially modified, making them less ordered. The main features of the modifications were the detachment of the fibers, cell wall collapse and, in several cases, the formation of pores in the cell wall surfaces. The peel lignocellulosic fibers showed more ordered fibrils and no modification was observed after pre-treatment. In conclusion, a seven-fold increase in the enzymatic saccharification of the Bactris gasipaes inner sheath was observed after pre-treatment, while no improvement in enzymatic saccharification was observed in the B. gasipaes peel. Full article

The extraction and commercialization of palm hearts is the most profitable activity involving the peach palm (Bactris gasipaes), while consumption of its fruits is limited to Amazonian communities. The excessive attention paid to the implementation of germplasm banks contributed to the lack of development of high-performance varieties, limiting the production and consumption of peach palm fruits and by-products. In addition, with the fragmentation of the Amazonian rainforest, wild populations are in danger of extinction. The species domestication, initiated by Native Amazonians, generated a large variety of peach palm populations, as evidenced by the diversity in fruit sizes and quality. Some advances in agronomic traits also took place. However, more research needs to be conducted to understand the implications of climatic changes on plant physiological performance. Indeed, the key point is that the exploitation of the full potential of B. gasipaes has not been completely exploited. Therefore, understanding the state-of-the-art research on the peach palm with a focus on its underutilized resources is essential for expanding plantations and, consequently, promoting the market expansion of the peach palm as a fruit crop. Full article

This study evaluated the inclusion of nanofibers from soybean hulls and pupunha peach palm heart sheaths in the diet of growing rabbits. Twenty-four New Zealand White rabbits (male and female) were allocated in three experimental groups: control, fed a basal diet; Nanosoy, fed a diet containing 7% soybean-hull nanofibers; and Nanopupunha, fed a diet containing 7% pupunha palm heart-sheath nanofibers. The Nanosoy-group rabbits showed poorer final weight, daily feed intake, and daily weight gain than those in other groups. In the duodenum, villus height, total mucosal thickness, and villus width were higher in rabbits that received nanofiber-supplemented diets than in the controls. Higher villus density and wall thickness were observed in Nanopupunha-fed rabbits than in the controls. In the jejunum, although the crypt depth was higher in Nanosoy-fed rabbits, the villus height:crypt depth ratio was higher in the Nanopupunha-fed group. Nanosoy-fed animals exhibited increased count Enterobacteriaceae populations. Rabbits in both nanofiber-fed groups exhibited higher lactic-acid bacterial counts than those in the control-diet group. Therefore, although the inclusion of 7% Nanopupunha in the diet of rabbits did not alter the performance, it improved intestinal health and increased the lactic-acid bacterial count in the cecum of growing rabbits. Full article

The peach palm (Bactris gasipaes Kunth) is a palm tree native to the Amazon region, with plantations expanding to the Brazilian Southwest and South regions. This work is a critical review of historical, botanical, social, environmental, and nutritional aspects of edible and nonedible parts of the plant. In Brazil, the importance of the cultivation of B. gasipaes to produce palm heart has grown considerably, due to its advantages in relation to other palm species, such as precocity, rusticity and tillering. The last one is especially important, as it makes the exploitation of peach palm hearts, contrary to what happens with other palm tree species, a non-predatory practice. Of special interest are the recent efforts aiming at the valorization of the fruit as a source of carotenoids and starch. Further developments indicate that the B. gasipaes lignocellulosic wastes hold great potential for being upcycled into valuable biotechnological products such as prebiotics, enzymes, cellulose nanofibrils and high fiber flours. Clean technologies are protagonists of the recovery processes, ensuring the closure of the product’s life cycle in a “green” way. Future research should focus on expanding and making the recovery processes economically viable, which would be of great importance for stimulating the peach palm production chain. Full article