Bioactive Compounds and Physicochemical Characteristics of Pecan Nut Cultivars Grown in Southern Brazil

Pecan nuts are oilseeds, well recognized for their constituent unsaturated fatty acids. Pecan cultivation in the state of Rio Grande do Sul has increased in recent years, warranting greater information on the composition of this oilseed. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate the physicochemical characteristics, fatty acid profile, and bioactive compounds of the pecan cultivars grown in the southern region of Rio Grande do Sul. Fruit samples from seven cultivars and a selection of pecan trees were subjected to experiments to evaluate the color, centesimal composition, oil content, acidity, peroxide value, specific extraction coefficient, composition of fatty acids, tocopherols, and phenolic compounds. The resulting data were analyzed statistically using Tukey’s test. The ‘Elliot’ cultivar was revealed to have the greatest lipid content with 77.08%. The ‘Shawnee’ cultivar exhibited higher oxidation levels, represented by the high acidity and greater peroxide content in the samples. The ‘Elliot’ cultivar presented the highest gamma-tocopherol index, while the ‘Success’ cultivar presented the highest delta-tocopherol index. The ‘Shawnee’, ‘Elliot’, and ‘Mohawk’ cultivars exhibited higher amounts of saturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids, and polyunsaturated fatty acids, respectively. The main phenolic compounds identified and quantified in the pecan nut samples were gallic acid, procyanidin type B, (+)-catechin, methyl gallate, ellagic acid pentose, ellagic acid, and methylated ellagic acid pentose. The fatty acid profile varied with the cultivars, although unsaturated fatty acids remained predominant, indicating better nutritional quality and a greater oxidation potential.