The phytochemical profile of typical seeds from semiarid areas of Bahia was explored. The desalination capacity of the seeds discovered in previous studies considered the seeds potentially suitable for desalination of water. Coals composed of crushed seeds of umbu (Spondias tuberosa Arr. Cam.) and umburana (Amburana cearensis A. C. Sm.) were prepared by heating at 250 ºC. As the desalination process using these materials involves ion exchange besides adsorption, it became necessary to study their chemical composition to check the possibility of transferring undesirable chemical species to the water during the contact between material and water. None of the tested metabolites were found in umbu coal, which enabled its use in desalination. However, the presence of coumarin and alkaloids in the umburana seeds coal indicated that this material is not suitable for that use.
Keywords:
phytochemical profile; seed extracts; semiarid regions
