Carbohydrate composition of peach palm (Bactris gasipaes Kunth) by-products flours.

The flours obtained from peach palm by-products are rich in dietary fiber (62-71%) and they can be used as food ingredients. The aim of this work was to investigate the carbohydrate composition of the flours processed from the residual parts (stem and median sheath) of a hearts-of-palm industry. The flours were fractionated, based on their solubility, whose monomeric compounds were determined. The fraction containing mostly cellulose (S5) was the most abundant (26-28%), followed by the sum of fractions (S2, 53, S4) extracted with alkaline solutions (21-22%). The S1 fraction contained the highest percentage of uronic acids, which characterizes the presence of pectin. Xylose and arabinose were found in high proportion in S2 and S3 fractions. The S4 and S5 fractions, rich in glucose, were the main portion of the cell wall material and correspond to the insoluble fraction of the dietary fiber.