Physical and chemical characteristics of coroba ( Jessenia polycarpa Karst) fruit: a Venezuelan oleaginous specie

Abstract

In this research, the structural and proximate compositions of the mature fruit of the coroba palm ( Jessenia polycarpa Karst) were evaluated. The fruits were harvested in Cuchivero, Cedeño Municipality , Bolívar state-Venezuela, in July 2003. The average weight of a whole fruit was 33.00 ± 5.21 g (P<0.05) and the major structural component was the endocarp (33.09 %), followed by epicarp (28.45 %), mesocarp or edible fraction (20.67 %) and seed (17.79 %). The seed showed major levels of fat (54.50 %) and protein (9.10 %), while in the mesocarp these values were 28.36 % and 2.89 %, respectively. Both components presented high contents of dietary fiber, calcium and phosphorus. Available carbohydrates were not found in the seed. On the other hand, mesocarp presented starch (42.16 %) with an amilose/amilopectin ratio of 1:24. The fatty acid composition showed lauric acid as the major fatty acid in the seed (45.00 %), while in the mesocarp the oleic acid was (45.46 %).