Sustainable Valorization of Sinami Fruit (Oenocarpus mapora H. Karst), with Focus on Its Nutrients and Bioactive Components as a Function of Harvest Time

Abstract

Sinami (Oenocarpus mapora H. Karst) is a palm tree that grows in the South American Amazon, whose fruits are highly valued for their sensory characteristics, attractive dark purple color, and as a source of edible oil. However, little to no information is available on the changes in the physicochemical properties, nutrients, chemical compounds, and antioxidant capacity of O. mapora fruits throughout their four-week ripening period. The results obtained showed that fruit weight, seed weight, and peel + flesh weight increased slightly. The variables that showed a significant increase (p < 0.001) during ripening were pH, TSS (°Brix), TSS/TA ratio, and the a* coordinate. The lipid content increased substantially from 0.46 to 31.47 g/100 g. Among the variations, the chlorophyll and carotenoid content increased from harvest 1 to harvest 2, while the total anthocyanin content decreased from harvest 3 (1.65 mg c-3-g/g) to harvest 4 (1.00 mg c-3-g/g). Furthermore, 4-hydroxyphenylacetic acid and ferulic acid levels decreased, while gallic acid and rutin levels increased. These results confirm that the fruits of O. mapora vary during the ripening process. Harvests 3 and 4 contributed significantly with a higher content of bioactive compounds and oil, which is important for the utilization and production of vegetable oil and for promoting the use of byproducts such as seeds and the press cake after oil extraction.