Evaluation of nutritional properties and health effects of palqui seeds (Acacia feddeana Harms)
Palqui (Acacia feddeana Harms) is a legume of wild origin that grows forming thicket forests in temperate desert areas in the southern part of Bolivia, which includes the northwest of Tarija, the southeast of Potosí and the Sud Cinti region of Chuquisaca, with a production of 1100-1260 kg / ha. The dried seed of palqui is a product of traditional consumption of the peasants in the places where it is produced, either as cooked or roasted seed. For several years, its food use has been diversified through some products, such as flour and palqui coffee. The annual production is 1100-1260 kg/ha.
The seed has excellent nutritional properties due to its high content of proteins, carbohydrates, lipids and minerals. However, the nutritional quality of their proteins, carbohydrates and lipids and their potential effects on human health have not yet been evaluated.
The objective of the project is to evaluate these potentials, focusing on the evaluation of the amino acid and fatty acid profiles of dried, cooked and roasted raw seeds of different ecotypes and varieties of this under-utilized endogenous species. This information will be useful for health officials in charge of local and national programs for the prevention of malnutrition, nutritionists, scientists and food technologists, agroecologists who work in Palqui forests conservation programs, and, finally, to producer´s associations.
Project Leader:
Ramiro Escalera Vasquez, Ph. D.
E-mail: rescalera@upb.edu
