COMPOSITION AND MINERAL CONTENT OF THE FRUIT Ziziphus joazeiro
1
CAMPOS, R.S., 1PINTO, Y.S., 1PAGNONCELLI, M.G.B., 1ASSIS, C.F., 2MOURA, M.F.V.
1
Departamento de Farmácia , Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Natal, Rio Grande
do Norte, Brazil.
2
Departamento de Química, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Natal, Rio Grande
do Norte, Brazil.
[email protected]
KEYWORDS: Ziziphus joazeio., minerals, ICP, centesimal composition.
1. Introduction
Many species of the Caatinga flora are
used as medicines in local communities. In
recent decades, the knowledge and use of these
species has been expanding within this region.
The Ziziphus joazeiro is a species widely
distributed throughout the Brazilian Northeast.
The aim of this study was evaluate the
centesimal composition and contents of
minerals these species presented.
3. Results
The results of centesimal composition
are in table 1.
Table1: Centesimal composition of pulp and
seed Ziziphus joazeiro fruits.
Lipids
Proteins
Carboydrate
Caloric value (Kcal)
Pulp
(g/100g)
0,16
8,64
5,71
58,84
Seed
(g/100g)
1,78
8,12
9,53
86,62
2. Methods
2.1. Sample preparation
Ziziphus joazeiro fruits were collected
in the town of Macaíba in the Escola Agrícola
de Jundiaí region of Rio Grande do Norte State,
Brazil, at latitude 9º27’S and longitude 35º27’W
of Greenwich, between the months of May and
June, 2009. The seed and pulp were used by
determination of centesimal composition and
quantification of minerals. Samples were dried
in an oven at 105 ºC to remove moisture and
used in always determinations.
2.2. Centesimal composition
The samples were analysed for
centesimal composition (moisture, protein, fat,
carbohydrates and ash) using the AOAC
procedures (AOAC, 1995). The crude protein
content (N x 6.25) of the samples was estimated
by the macro-Kjeldahl method; the crude fat
was determined by extracting a known weight
of powdered sample with ethyl ether, using a
Soxhlet apparatus; the ash content was
determined by incineration at 550 ± 15 ºC. Total
carbohydrates were calculated by difference and
total energy was calculated according to the
following equations: Energy (kcal) = 4 x (g
protein + g carbohydrate) + 9 x (g lipid).
2.3. Minerals quantification
The determination of minerals content
was realized in ICP-OES (iCAP 6300 Thermo
Analytical), according Analytic Standards
Institute Adolfo Lutz (2007).
The contents of the minerals indicated
that both the pulp and seed presented quantities
of potassium and calcium significant. The pulp
showed 305.26 mg Ca/100 g and 79.8 mg
K/100g Ca/100g sample while the seed 294.13
mg Ca / 100 g and 158, 70 mg K/100 g of
sample. Other minerals such as iron and
magnesium were also identified in the fruit, but
in smaller quantities. The fruit of Ziziphus
joazeiro is comestible and rich in vitamin C, in
addition, the mature fruit is used for the
production type of wine (Santa Rosa & Iachan,
1951; Mendes, 1996). The determination of
centesimal composition, total caloric value and
mineral’s contents in this study show the
importance of this fruit as a source of nutrients,
mainly because it is a species that is typical of
caatinga in the Northeast region in Brazil and is
adapted to dry conditions (Matos, 2000). It’s a
possible nutrients source for the population that
live in this region.
4. Conclusion
According to our results can conclude
that the fruit of Ziziphus joazeiro is an
important source of nutrients with low caloric
value, which can be used as an alternative
nutrient for the population that lives in the
caatinga.
Acknowledgments: Núcleo de Estudo em
Petróleo e Gás Natural da Universidade Federal
do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN.