Air drying of macauba fruits: maintaining oil quality for biodiesel production

Abstract

Macauba fruits are oil-rich drupes with high moisture content at harvest. This feature can affect the chemical properties of the oil and increase the costs of biodiesel production. Therefore, it is necessary to adopt postharvest strategies to ensure oil quality. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of drying macauba fruit on the quality of the pulp oil. Husked and dehusked fruits were dried at 60°C and then stored. At 0, 15, 45, 100, and 180 days after storage, fruit samples were retrieved, and the oil from the pulp was evaluated for physicochemical parameters. The removal of the husk from the fruits considerably reduced the drying time compared to that of the husked fruits. Drying prevented deterioration of the fruit even after 180 days of storage, regardless of the presence of the husk. The drying process allowed for efficient storage of the macauba fruit while maintaining low levels of oil acidity. Furthermore, the oxidative stability of the pulp oil from the dehusked dried fruits lasted longer than that from the husked dried fruits. Therefore, drying is a viable alternative for the postharvest of macauba fruits to maintain the quality of the oil for biodiesel production.

Acrocomia spp.: neglected crop, ballyhooed multipurpose palm or fit for the bioeconomy? A review

“…A complementary study on the effects of storage period lengths on mesocarp quality parameters concludes that non-pre-treated, fully ripe fruits harvested directly from the bunch can be stored at room conditions for up to 20 days with oil quality remaining within desired limits (Tilahun et al 2019). With the aim of extending this period and avoiding deterioration of the mesocarp, a number of post-harvest methods were explored including the use of ozone gas on fresh fruits, irradiation, and air drying (da Silva et al 2020b;Silva et al 2019aSilva et al , 2019bTilahun et al 2020). Other studies investigated the applicability of new biocatalysts for hydrolyzing high-acid mesocarp oil (Rade et al 2020) and emerging oil extraction methods (da Rosa et al 2019b).…”

Macaúba’s world scenario: a bibliometric analysis

“…Other publications of Kuki, K. N. evaluated the potential of macaúba as feedstock for solid biofuel; air drying to maintain its quality for biodiesel production; molecular characterization and population structure; patterns of fruit development; changes in morphology and storage compounds. Besides, methods to test and to predict the biomass of macaúba's fruit and genetic composition to support conservation programs and molecular biology were also found [53,85,2,[56][57][58]60,86].…”

Effect of drying air temperature on the physical properties of macauba kernels (Acrocomia aculeata)

“…The macauba fruit is drupe-shaped, spherical, and brown. It has a fibrous shell (epicarp), an oleaginous pulp (mesocarp), a nut (endocarp), and an oil-rich kernel (SILVA et al, 2020;SILVA et al, 2017). It is an emerging source for the production of high-quality oils from its pulp and kernel (SILVA et al, 2021).…”

“…Although the drying process of macauba fruit is well known (SILVA et al, 2017;SILVA et al, 2020), there is no information in the literature about the effects of different drying temperatures on the physical properties of macauba kernels. Therefore, the objective was to evaluate the effects of mositure and drying temperature on the physical properties of macauba kernels.…”