Elaboração de produto farináceo a partir da semente de Moringa oleifera Lam.

Abstract

Moringa oleifera Lam. is a plant belonging to the family Moringaceas, which among the 14 known species is the one that has a better adaptation to different climates, having applications in various sectors of society due to its great chemical rich. Its seed is globose or oval, being usually used in the form of coagulant of residues or in the form of foods, especially roasted or like product flours. The flours have as main characteristic the low humidity and the great con- centration of nutrients, having its production methodology increasingly improved as new methodologies increasingly practical and efficient, among these methodologies has been gain- ing space to microwave oven drying (MO) in the preparation of flours, due to the high effi- ciency of the drying process in a short time. Based on this assumption, the present work aimed to analyze the production and characterization of the farinaceous prod flours of the M. oleifera Lam. Seed by the drying method in MO, in addition to physically and chemically analyze the M. oleifera Lam. in natura. With the physical results of the study of the seeds in natura can be perceived that they have a globose format and a smaller amount in mass in the fruit compared to the pod. The chemical study carried out with the in natura seed showed a great protein index, giving a seed of M. oleifera Lam. A possibility of being used in the feed- ing, given this confirmed by the toxicological study with Artemias salinas Leach., that demonstrated absence of toxicological grade. From the physical and chemical studies of the flours elaborated from seed in MO it was noticed that said product was in agreement with the parameters of flours originating from Anvisa, having a low humidity and a higher protein concentration, with a small time, energy and ease of drying with the use of MO, demonstrat- ing that this is a very practical, reproducible technique with satisfactory results.