Characterization of the Pulp and Kernel Oils from Syagrus oleracea, Syagrus romanzoffiana, and Acrocomia aculeata

Abstract

Vegetable oils are important sources of essential fatty acids. It is, therefore, important to characterize plant species that can be used as new oil sources. This study aimed to characterize the oils from guariroba (Syagrus oleracea), jerivá (Syagrus romanzoffiana), and macaúba (Acrocomia aculeata). The physicochemical characterization was performed using official analytical methods for oils and fats, free fatty acids, peroxide value, refractive index, iodine value, saponification number, and unsaponifiable matter. The oxidative stability was determined using the Rancimat at 110 °C. The fatty acid composition was performed by gas chromatography. The results were submitted to Tukey's test for the medium to 5% using the ESTAT program. The pulp oils were more unsaturated than kernel oils, as evidenced by the higher refractive index and iodine value, especially the macaúba pulp oil which gave 1.4556 and 80 g I(2) /100 g, respectively, for these indices. The kernel oils were less altered by oxidative process and had high induction period, free fatty acids below 0.5%, and peroxide value around 0.19 meq/kg. The guariroba kernel oil showed the largest induction period, 91.82 h. Practical Application: The vegetable oils, besides being consumed directly as food, are important raw material for the chemical, pharmaceutical, and food industries. In recent years, the world market of vegetable oils has been characterized by stronger growth of demand over supply. Several species of palm trees are shown to be promising sources of oils. The characterization of oils extracted from some species, such as guariroba, jerivá, and macaúba, has not yet been fully elucidated. For this reason, it becomes important to investigate the physicochemical characterization of these oils, aiming at a possible use in food or in the industry.

Low-pressure solvent extraction of oil from macauba (Acrocomia aculeata) pulp: characterization of oil and defatted meal

“…Macauba (Acrocomia aculeata) has high oil content (~30%) (CICONINI et al, 2013); the pulp is around 45% of the fruit composition (RAMOS et al, 2008) and provides oil that is orange-yellow in colour, rich in bioactive compounds and fatty acid composition, and contains high levels of oleic and palmitic acids (HIANE et al, 2005;AMARAL et al, 2011;COIMBRA & JORGE, 2011). Among the bioactive compounds, there is β-carotene, a powerful antioxidant, which is a precursor of vitamin A in human and animal metabolism, and flavonoids, which belong to the group of phenolic compounds, and are especially known for their antioxidant activity and several biological effects (HUBER & RODRIGUEZ-AMAYA, 2008).…”

Genetic diversity of macaúba fruits from 35 municipalities of the state of Goiás, Brazil

“…-has been used as a raw material in the production of biofuels due to its high content of oil in the fruit, production of various energy residues, besides being a native perennial plant found naturally in almost all the Brazilian territory (Pimentel et al, 2015, Evaristo et al, 2016. The oil of the macaúba mesocarp is rich in oleic acid, and is demanded by both the food and the agroenergy industry (Coimbra & Jorge, 2011).…”

“…-has been used as a raw material in the production of biofuels due to its high content of oil in the fruit, production of various energy residues, besides being a native perennial plant found naturally in almost all the Brazilian territory (Pimentel et al, 2015, Evaristo et al, 2016. The oil of the macaúba mesocarp is rich in oleic acid, and is demanded by both the food and the agroenergy industry (Coimbra & Jorge, 2011).Currently, a large part of macaúba cultivation is restricted to extractive activity, and the few plantations are not yet in full production, and others in some research centers (Oliveira et al, 2016). These research centers in Brazil have been evaluating the genetic potential of different genotypes through quantitative and qualitative analyses as well as physical and chemical analysis of macaúba fruits (Matsimbe et al, 2015).…”

Avaliação da Viscosidade do Óleo da Amêndoa de Macaúba em Diferentes Estágios de Maturação

“…Estes são comercialmente óleos valiosos, devido à presença dos componentes específicos; mono e os ácidos graxos poli-insaturados 3 . A palmeira macaúba é rica em óleo, na amêndoa 55% em base seca e vem despertando interesse socioeconômico como fonte de matéria-prima para a produção de biocombustível, fins alimentícios e medicinais.…”