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In addition to tasting the baru nut, it is possible to plant it in areas under recovery and use it in the production of beverages and pesto sauce.

the baru (winged Dipteryx) is the fruit of the baruzeiro, an imperious native tree from the cerrado located in the Central Plateau of Brazil. The fruit is brown in color and has a single seed, the baru nut, which is edible. Also known as cumaru and cambaru, this legume has gained prominence for its nutritional properties, pleasant taste on the palate and for representing a new source of income for family farmers.

Baru, in addition to providing seeds, can also be used for other purposes. Its pulp can be useful as a food supplement for cattle during the dry season, as it has a high energy value and mineral salts. The endocarp, the layer that covers the seeds of the baru, can also be used for the production of charcoal, reducing wood extraction for this purpose. Another positive factor is that, in the long term, the planting of baruzeiro in areas to be recovered, such as legal reserves and environmental protection such as springs, riverbanks and streams, favors its conservation and the maintenance of other species that use the baru. as food.

Baru nuts have a pleasant and less pronounced flavor than peanuts, and are consumed in different ways: roasted as an aperitif, in recipes for the production of cereal bars, cakes, cookies, between others. It is also possible to extract baru seed oil, which has a high degree of unsaturation, comparable to olive oil, in addition to being a source of oleic and linoleic fatty acids (ѡ-3 and ѡ-6). From the cake, a by-product of the extraction of baru oil, it is possible to produce baru flour. Another application for baru seeds is the production of alcoholic beverages and pesto sauce.

The baru nut has a high energy value (476 to 560 Kcal/100g), its composition is characterized by lipids, proteins, soluble fibers and a small amount of sugars, in addition it has high levels of sodium, potassium, magnesium, manganese, iron, zinc and copper, is also a source of vitamin E. The chestnut is considered an important source of nutrients, but its consumption is not advisable. in nature, as it has antinutritional factors that reduce the bioavailability of nutrients. The anti-nutritional factor can be inactivated by roasting the seed.

Baru oil is considered a product with medicinal properties, being used against rheumatism and as a regulator of menstruation, but there is no scientific proof. Baru nuts are also renowned as an aphrodisiac and as a powerful invigorating due to their nutritional properties. Currently, studies are being carried out in order to prove the antioxidant power of baru nuts.