Caracterización de azúcares, lípidos y proteínas del fruto de Samanea Saman para su valorización como alimento funcional

Abstract

The present research work studied the Samanea saman commonly known as carob or rain tree is a large tree native to the American dry tropics that has spread throughout the humid tropics, is a tree that provides excellent wood and produces a large quantity of pods of high nutritional quality that are used as a forage supplement for livestock in dry seasons. The general objective: Characterization of the sugars, lipids and proteins present in the fruit of S. saman to evaluate its potential as a functional ingredient in the food industry. Through qualitative tests of Benedict, Molish, Lugol, Seliwanoff, Biuret, Solubility, Saponification, Rancidity, Salkowski, the presence of the main biomolecular groups was determined, confirming the existence of sugars, lipids and proteins in the fruit extract, proving that it has energetic and nutritive components for use in the food industry. The prebiotic effect of the S. saman extract was also evaluated using bacterial strains of food interest, Bacillus clausii and Lactobacillus sporogenes, in aqueous agar. The final results showed that the media supplemented with the extract remained constant after 48 hours of incubation, without showing an increase in the growth of prebiotic bacteria. This study opens new possibilities to understand its functionality and its applications in the food and biotechnology industry as a healthier, more economical and sustainable alternative to certain synthetic ingredients or products.