Seed Composition of Amazonian Lecythidaceae Species: Part 3 in the Series “Studies of Edible Amazonian Plants”

The chemical composition of seeds ofLecythis usitata,Allantoma lineataandCouroupita guianensis(Lecythidaceae) were analysed in order to contribute to better understanding of the nutritional and economic potential of Amazon oleaginous species. Results are presented for the main components, minerals and some trace elements, the fatty acid, tocopherol and sterol as well as the amino acid composition. In the case of elemental composition the high contents of barium and selenium are remarkable, especially inL. usitataseeds (100 mg/100 g and 2·9 mg/100 g, resp.). The extractability of elements with water and lipids was examined. The biological value of the proteins of all the three species are in the same range as many other vegetable proteins, they are characterized by expressively high concentrations of methionine.