Licania tomentosa, a species widely distributed in the Amazon biome and the Brazilian Cerrado, has aroused growing scientific interest due to its high phytochemical potential. The present study aimed to evaluate the technological properties, phytochemical profile, and in vitro digestive behavior of L. tomentosa fractions (peel + pulp, seeds, and leaves), with an emphasis on the stability and bioaccessibility of phenolic compounds and antioxidant potential. The fractions showed distinct technological performance, with emphasis on the leaves, which exhibited the highest absorption index of milk (23.92 g g–1) and oil (21.83 g g–1), and on the peel + pulp, which showed the highest water solubility (34.67%). Phytochemical analysis revealed significant levels of total phenolics in the seeds extracted with methanol (82.96 mg GAE 100 g–1) and ortho-diphenols in the leaves extracted with 60% ethanol (69.84 mg CAE 100 g–1). The leaves showed the highest antioxidant activity by the DPPH method (93.15% inhibition) and stood out in the FRAP (57.75 mg AAE 100 g–1) and ABTS (95.20% inhibition) assays, confirming their high reducing and free radical neutralization capacity. During simulated digestion, it was observed that compounds such as catechin (109.36% bioaccessibility), trigonelline (88.51%), and ferulic acid (96.55%) showed excellent stability, especially in the leaf fractions and seeds. Antioxidant and α-amylase inhibitory activity remained high after digestion, particularly in the seeds, which achieved 60.78% enzyme inhibition during the intestinal phase. The results demonstrate that L. tomentosa constitutes a plant matrix of high functional value, rich in stable and bioaccessible phenolic compounds, with potential application in the development of food and nutraceutical formulations.
Vellano et al. (Thu,) studied this question.