Baobab-Fruit Shell and Fibrous Filaments Are Sources of Antioxidant Dietary Fibers

Since 2008, baobab-fruit dried pulp is listed as an ingredient on the European Union ' s Novel Food Catalogue. By pulp production, 80% of the baobab fruit is discarded, forming side streams, namely, shell, fibrous filaments, and seeds. This study explored pulp and side-stream functional properties, including total dietary fiber (TDF), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), polyphenols, and water- (WHC) and oil-holding capacities (OHC), along with endocannabinoids (ECs) and N-acylethanolamines (NAEs) in pulp, seeds, and seed oil. Shell excelled in TDF (85%), followed by fibrous filaments (79%), and showed the highest soluble and direct TAC (72 +/- 0.7 and 525 +/- 1.0 mu mol eq. Trolox/g, respectively). Pulp was the richest in polyphenols, followed by shell, fibrous filaments, and seeds. Quercetin predominated in shell (438.7 +/- 2.5 mu g/g); whereas epicatechin predominated in pulp (514 +/- 5.7 mu g/g), fibrous filaments (197.2 +/- 0.1 mu g/g), and seeds (120.1 +/- 0.6 mu g/g); followed by procyanidin B2 that accounted for 26-40% of total polyphenols in all the products. WHC and OHC ranged between 2-7 g H2O-Oil/g, with fibrous filaments showing the highest values. ECs were not found, whereas NAEs were abundant in seed oil (2408.7 +/- 11.1 ng/g). Baobab shell and fibrous filaments are sources of polyphenols and antioxidant dietary fibers, which support their use as functional food ingredients.