The Cerrado is one of the most biodiverse biomes in the world, characterized by its wealth of
native fruits with unique sensory characteristics. Among these fruits, buriti (Mauritia flexuosa)
stands out, belonging to the Arecaceae family, recognized for its high content of bioactive
compounds such as carotenoids, phenolic acids and flavonoids. Therefore, the complete use of
this fruit is necessary in order to mitigate problems arising from the incorrect disposal of waste,
such as peels and seeds. Thus, this study's central objective was to carry out a comprehensive
evaluation of the chemical and physicochemical properties, phytochemical compounds, and
functional analyses of buriti peels in natura and dried at 55 ºC, together with the study of the
phenolic profile and antioxidant potential of the extracts recovered. The results indicated high
fiber content and energy value for the sample processed at 55 ºC (58.95 g 100 g−1 and 378.91
kcal 100 g−1, respectively) and low lipid and protein content (1.03 g 100 g−1 and 1.39 g 100 g−1,
respectively). Regardless of the sample analyzed, maltose was the majority sugar (37.33 –
281.01 g 100 g−1). The main fatty acids detected were oleic acid followed by palmitic acid. The
analysis of the mineral profile demonstrated that the samples did not differ significantly from
each other, demonstrating that the drying process did not interfere with the results obtained (p
≤ 0.01). The analysis of individual phenolics allowed the identification of 6 phenolic
compounds in buriti peels. However, it is possible to observe that the drying method had a
positive and significant influence on the phenolic profile (p ≤ 0.01), with chlorogenic acid (2.63
– 8.27 mg 100 g−1) and trigonelline (1.06 – 41.52 mg 100 g−1), the main compounds. On the
other hand, it is important to highlight that buriti peels have a high carotenoid content, which is
also positively influenced by the drying process at 55 ºC (p ≤ 0.01). The dried peels showed a
high content of phytochemical compounds and high antioxidant activity by the different
methods tested. Functional analyses demonstrate that buriti peel flour is nutritionally rich.
However, it should be used as a complement in formulations with other flours, such as wheat.
The results show that buriti peel flour can be fully utilized and has nutritional and chemical
aspects that can be applied in the development of new and nutritious food formulations.
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