NON-TIMBER FOREST PRODUCTS OF THE ATLANTIC FOREST: TANNINS PRESENTS IN Protium heptaphyllum (Aubl.) March
Burseraceae, polyphenols, medicinal properties, vegetable components
Protium heptaphyllum is a species of interest for research and conservation, due to the lack of biological data on the same and lack of studies related to tannin content. Besides that having importance in the pharmaceutical industry, presenting anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and insecticidal properties. Studies on tannins in the species may be relevant because plants with high levels of tannins have therapeutic activity and are used in traditional medicine for the treatment of various diseases. The objective of this work is the characterization and compositional analysis of the bark, leaf and fruit of the species, as well as the extraction and quantification of the vegetal tannins present in its different structures, analyzing the chemical components in them and their possible pharmacological potential. The plant material was collected in a P. heptaphyllum population, located in a fragment of Atlantic Forest located in Escola Agrícola de Jundiaí, in the municipality of Macaíba, RN. The content of moisture, ash content, volatile content and fixed carbon, as well as the amount of crude protein, hemicellulose, lignin and cellulose, were determined. Then, the tanning extracts were obtained, evaluating the total solid amount, Stiasny Index, condensed tannins and non-tannins. Thermogravimetric analysis and infrared spectroscopy of biomass and tanning extracts were also performed. The bark and leaf have higher Stiasny Index, that is, in tanning extracts they have higher tannin content, and fruits have higher total solids content. The molecular structure of biomass and tanning extracts have the same functional groups, where they are similar, which may be characteristic of the species.