Progress in Palmito (Heart-of-Palm) Processing Research

Palmito is a gourmet product obtained from the young and tender leaves of certain palm trees. Brazil is the main producer and exporter of canned, acidified palmito. In this paper the main aspects of raw material procurement, processing and packaging are reviewed. Most of the original work was done at the Instituto de Tecnologia de Alimentos (ITAL) in Campinas, Brazil. The palmito is mainly produced from two species of naturally growing palms. There are two main technical problems in palmito processing: discoloration of the naturally white product and safe acidification to inhibit Clostridium botulinum growth. Both problems have been solved adequately in laboratory and pilot plant work. Acceptance and implementation of these technological developments by the small palmito canneries is essential to obtain products acceptable to the international market.