Chemical composition and glycemic index of Brazilian pine (Araucaria angustifolia) seeds

The seeds of Parana pine (Araucaria brasiliensis syn. Araucaria angustifolia), named pinhao, are consumed after cooking and posterior dehulling, or they are used to prepare a flour employed in regional dishes. Native people that live in the South of Brazil usually consume baked pinhao. As a result of cooking, the white seeds become brown on the surface due to the migration of some tinted compounds present in the seed coat. In this work, the proximate composition, minerals, flavonoids, and glycemic index (GI) of cooked and raw pinhao seeds were compared. No differences in moisture, lipids, soluble fiber, and total starch after boiling were found. However, the soluble sugars and P, Cu, and Mg contents decreased, probably as a consequence of leaching in the cooking water. Also, the boiling process modified the profile of the phenolic compounds in the seeds. No flavonols were detected in raw pinhao seeds. The internal seed coat had a quercetin content five times higher than that of the external seed coat; als...