Prospecção nutricional e bioativa de sementes de dez espécies vegetais da caatinga

Abstract

The Caatinga Biome shows an heterogeneous vegetation with a taxonomic biodiversity of over 2,000 species of plants. Among these, approximately 220 belong to the Leguminosae family with 80 endemic species, unique to that biome. Many are used for various purposes in an indiscriminate manner, greatly reducing the variety and number of species even before the knowledge of their potential uses. Studies that can add economic value and enable the rational, sustainable use of these species, coupled with the constant search for new sources of plant protein to meet the ever increasing demand of the population are extremely important. Similarly important is the search for natural compounds which may help to combat human and plant pathogens. Thus, this study aimed to assess the nutritional and bioactive value of the seeds of ten plant species from Caatinga, highlighting the most promising ones. For this, the seeds were analyzed for nutritional composition, showing a high percentage of crude protein (10.9 ± 0.4 to 50.0 ± 3.4%), dietary fiber (0.8 ± 0 , 0 to 52.3 ± 1.0%) and energy (1,000 kJ/100g a1.804), with amino acid profile similar to that of soybeans, with higher amounts of lysine (1088-456 mg/gN) and histidine (199-918 mg/gN) and good mineral profile, with good content (mg/100 g flour) for all of them, especially, iron (3.8 to 20.2), calcium (31 to 268), magnesium (102-244) and potassium ( 366-1581). The seeds showed low amounts of lectins (80-2560 and 160-2560 UH / gF, when untreated and treated with enzymes, respectively), trypsin inhibitor (4.1 ± 0.4 to 27.4 ± 0.2 GTI / mgF), urease (465 ± 13 to 47,178 ± 3,351 U / KGF) and toxic activity in only three species, with LD50 ranging from 0.72 ± 0.03 to 1.12 ± 0.04 g / kg body weight . Was given an index of nutritional quality for all species, which pointed to Piptadenia moniliformis Benth. species (Catanduva) as the most promising one and because of that the seeds of this species was had the quality of its proteins evaluated in vivo. The thermal processing (boiling, microwave cooking and autoclaving) as well as the removal of α-galactosides did not improve animals performance. The nutritional parameters NPU and BV were improved when the animals were fed the seeds diet after removal of the α-galactosides. This may indicate that the search for apropriate processing methods may turn these seeds a promising source of proteins. Besides the high nutritional potential, the seeds of the ten studied species also have bioactive potential due to the presence of secondary metabolites such as alkaloids, catechins, calchonas, Auron, flavonols, flavones phenols, xanthones, flavononols, saponins and triterpenoids. These seeds also have bioactive proteins such as proteases, chitinases (0.23 ± 0.02 to 2.0 ± 0.33 nkat / mg P), β-1,3-glucanase (0.01 ± 0.0 to 0.8 ± 0, 01 nkat / mg P), and proteins active against microorganisms that are also considered antinutritional factors (lectins, trypsin inhibitors, urease and toxins). The evaluation of the crude extracts (CE) of the seeds showed that all species are active against the larvae of Aedes aegipti with mortality rates ranging from 13.33 ± 0.54 to 100.00 ± 0.00%, except that of Caesalpinea bracteosa which similarly to the CE of Dioclea megacarpa, was active against the bacterium Bacillus subtilis and against the fungus Fusarium oxysporum. Seeds extract of Senna rugosa species was able to inhibit the growth of Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus. The pathogenic fungi Aspergillus niger and Colletotrichum truncatum were inhibited by the CE of Piptadenia moniliformis and Enterolobium contortisiliquum. The latter was also active against Neurospora sp. and Trichoderma viridae. The species P. moniliformis was distinguished for its high chitinase activity (1.12 ± 0.0 nkat / mg P) in addition to its activity against biological models susceptible to this enzyme. For these reasons attempts were made for its purification. The purified protein fraction of P. moniliformis (PmFP) contains high activity of chitinases and caused a small reduction in the growth of the yeasts Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida tropicalis, and of the the bacterium B. subtilis. This protein fraction also inhibits the hatching of A. aegypti eggs with IC50 of 204. 42 ± 2.19 μgP / ml. It causes changes in the eggs structure and in the morphology of first stage larvae. Thus, investigation of bioactive and nutritional potential of the species showed good composition of nutrients, especially of proteins, and confirmed the presence of bioactive compounds from protein nature and secondary metabolites, making them promising sources of nutrients, antimicrobial and insecticides that can biotechnologically be used for agricultural and industrial purposes.