Isolation and characterisation of Pejibaye starch

摘要

The Peruvian Amazon offers a vast diversity of species with great possibilities of industrialisation. According to CALZADA (1985), there an around 150 species of fruit trees, 12,000 medicinal species and a countless number of plants, trees and shrubs, which can be used for industrial, chemical and nutritious purposes. One of these species is the Pejibaye (Bactris gasipaes H.B.K. Bai ley), which stands out in this group because of its high yield per hectare (12.16 ions per year) and the high nutritive value of its fruit. But the absence of definite species and the heterogeneity of the fruits make its use in the industry difficult in spite of its chemical and nutritive characteristics.