Generality
Brazilian (or Brazilian) nuts are the edible seeds produced by the Bertholletia excelsa tree.
Tree of Brazilian Nuts - Bertholletia excelsa
The botanical family of this plant (Lecythidaceae) is part of the order Ericales, the same as: cranberries, bilberries, sapote, gutta-percha, tea, gooseberry, phlox and khaki.
Brazil nuts have an inedible shell and are harvested from the center of a large fruit similar to coconut.
Nutritional Features
Brazilian walnuts are foods normally classified in the set of dried fruit, or rather oil seeds.
They do not fall into any of the 7 fundamental food groups, although due to their nutritional characteristics they should be part of the V category, that of fats and seasoning oils.
Obviously, the function of Brazilian nuts is not to "dress"; however, these fruits reveal some almost overlapping chemical properties:
- They bring many calories: 656kcal / 100g
- They have a prevalence of fats on proteins and glucides: 66.4g / 100g of edible portion, or about 85% of the total energy
- They contain several fat-soluble vitamins.
In relation to weight, Brazilian nuts provide:
- about 66% fat
- about 14% protein
- about 12% sugar.
The fatty acids are divided as follows:
- 23% saturated: 15.1g / 100g (they are the "bad" ones)
- 38% monounsaturated: 24.6g / 100g (especially omega 9. They are the "good fats", similar to those of extra virgin olive oil)
- 32% polyunsaturated: 20.6g / 100g (they are "very good"; among these, the concentrations of the essential omega 6 molecule stand out).
Due to the high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids, Brazilian nuts are hardly storable and tend to go rancid easily.
They do not contain cholesterol and provide an excellent amount of dietary fiber; 100g of these seeds can cover up to 25% of the fiber requirement for an average adult (30g / day).
It does not disappoint the concentration in vitamins and mineral salts. The most present water-soluble vitamin is thiamine (vitamin B1), while among the fat-soluble ones the content of vitamin E (tocopherols) stands out. With regard to mineral salts, instead, the concentrations of: magnesium, phosphorus, manganese, zinc and selenium are highlighted.
Brazilian nuts are a very caloric food, which is why they are not considered suitable for the overweight diet. On the other hand, they provide many useful nutrients for the body and could be included in the diet of the type 2 diabetes patient, hypertension, hypercholesterolemic and hypertriglyceridemic.
They do not contain gluten and lactose, but they can be very harmful in case of specific allergy.
The average portion of Brazil nuts should not exceed 30g per day, better if broken down into at least two (secondary) snacks.
In order not to exceed with the total fats, altering the nutritional balance of the diet, it is advisable to calibrate the quantity of seasoning oil according to the portion of oil seeds. For example, removing a teaspoon for each Brazilian nut to be consumed (1 walnut = 1 teaspoon of oil).
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| Chemical composition | Value for 100g | |
| Edible part | 100% | |
| water | - g | |
| Protein | 14, 32g | |
| Limiting Amino Acid | Tryptophan | |
| Total lipids | 66, 43g | |
| Saturated fatty acids | 15, 14g | |
| Monounsaturated fatty acids | 24, 55g | |
| Polyunsaturated fatty acids | 20, 58g | |
| Cholesterol | 0, 0mg | |
| Carbohydrates available | 12, 27g | |
| Starch | 0, 25g | |
| Soluble sugars | 2, 33g | |
| Total fiber | 7.5g | |
| Soluble fiber | - g | |
| Insoluble fiber | - g | |
| Phytic acid | - g | |
| Alcohol | 0.0g | |
| Power | 656, 0kcal | |
| Sodium | 3, 0mg | |
| Potassium | 659, 0mg | |
| Iron | 2, 43mg | |
| Football | 160, 0mg | |
| Phosphorus | 725mg | |
| Magnesium | 376, 0mg | |
| Zinc | 4, 06mg | |
| Copper | - mg | |
| Selenium | 1917, 0μg | |
| Thiamine | 0, 62mg | |
| Riboflavin | 0, 04mg | |
| Niacin | 0, 30mg | |
| Vitamin A retinol eq. | - µg | |
| C vitamin | 0, 7mg | |
| Vitamin E | 5, 73mg | |
| Pyridoxine (B6) | 0, 10mg | |
| folate | 22, 0μg | |
Oil of Brazilian Nuts
The lipid abundance of Brazilian nuts allows us to obtain an edible oil.
This dressing fat contains 75% unsaturated fats (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated), among which oleic acid (omega 9) and linolenic acid (omega 6) abound.
Other liposoluble molecules contained in Brazil nut oil are:
- Phytosterols: hypocholesterolemizing plant sterols
- Beta-sitosterol: with the same hypocholesterolemic capacity as the previous one and with a hypothetical preventive function for benign prostatic hypertrophy.
NB . This molecule is also investigated for the statistical link with the worsening of heart disease.
- Tocopherols or vitamin E: antioxidant, anti-thrombotic and protective of cell membranes.
The table below provides the nutritional detail of the fatty acid oil composition of Brazilian nuts.
| FATTY ACID | PERCENTAGE IN BRAZILIAN NUTS OIL |
| Palmitic acid | 16-20% |
| Palmitoleic acid | 0.5-1.2% |
| Stearic Acid | 9-13% |
| Oleic acid | 36-45% |
| Linolenic acid | 33-38% |
| Saturated Fats TOT | 25% |
| Unsaturated Fats TOT | 75% |
NB . The conservation of Brazil nut oil must take place:
- Al fresco
- In the dark
- In airtight containers
- For each bike, for a limited time.
Food dangers
Brazilian nuts are not long-lasting.
In addition to the risk of rancidity (also evident in the oil obtained from them), their tendency to contamination by molds is known.
These pathogens secrete toxins that are very dangerous to the human body. Poisonous principles (called aflatoxins ) have a more than significant hepato-tumoral effect and predispose the body to liver cancer.
Brazil nuts also contain small amounts of radium, a radioactive element. The concentration reaches about 40-260 Bq / kg *, which is 1, 000 times more than most foods. According to the "Oak Ridge Associated Universities", this phenomenon is not attributable to the radio present in the soil, but to the considerable extension of the root system.
Production
Every year about 20, 000 tons of Brazil nuts are picked; of these, 50% come from Bolivia, 40% from Brazil and 10% from Peru.
The production of nuts by Brazil is decreasing. At the end of 1980 the quantity amounted to 40, 000 tons, while in 1970 it reached 104, 000 tons.
The production of Brazilian nuts is the result of the cultivation and exploitation of wild plants. This latter system has been promoted as a source of income for the tropical forest which, instead of destroying it, constitutes a protective safeguard against deforestation.
Curiosity
Brazilian nuts are a common ingredient in dried fruit snacks where, due to their large size, they tend to remain high in the bag. It is a form of granular convention that is called "Brazilian Nut Effect".
