Fruits of the Bocaiuva palm - Acrocomia aculeata (Jacq.) Lodd. ex Mart. - collected at Dourados (MS) and Presidente Epitácio (SP), were analyzed in relation to the biometric characteristics chemical composition and physical characteristics, in order to evaluate the food potential. The Bocaiuva fruits showed no significant differences in the biometric characteristics. The average yield of pulp was 42% compared to the whole fruit, higher than found in the literature for other fruits of palm trees. The physical and chemical characteristics of the fruit pulps from MS and SP regions showed that the pulp was little acid (pH 5.70 to 6.29). Samples from Dourados were sweeter (14.53% of total reducing sugars) and had higher content of vitamin C (34.57 mg.100g-1) than samples from Presidente Epitácio (11.46 mg.100g-1). However, the intensity of the yellow-orange was higher in the pulp from Presidente Epitácio indicating higher content of carotenoids in the later.
Acrocomia aculeata; macauba; physical - chemical composition; palm fruit
