Pequi: a Brazilian fruit with potential uses for the fat industry

Abstract

-Pequi is a native fruit from Brazil, found in the Amazon, Caatinga, Cerrado and Atlantic Rain Forest regions. It is one of the main plants with great potential for sustainable use in Central Brazil. Among 16 species comprising Caryocar genus, three are highlighted: C. brasiliense, C. villosum, and C. coriaceum, of economic importance for families in small communities of Brazilian Cerrado. They are generally organized in cooperatives and use the leaves for preparing medicinal extracts, and the fruits for culinary purposes. When the sale of fresh fruits is reduced, they produce and commercialize fruit preserves, and liqueur products, as well as extract the oil. Harvesting of mature fruits after falling from the tree while keeping some fruits at the plant is the best way for its sustainable production. The internal mesocarp contains from 36 to 66% dry weight of oil having traditional culinary, medicinal and cosmetic uses. This oil has 60% of oleic acid and 35% palmitic acid, thus suitable for industrial fat hardstocks. The presence of the triacylglycerols POO and POP makes the oil of interest for cosmetic and food industries. Both pulp and kernel oils have been studied for their health effects. By physical, enzymatic or chemical modification, the oil has shown potential uses as cocoa butter substitute and zero trans fat product.Keywords: Caryocar sp / Pequi oil Résumé -Le pequi : un fruit brésilien à potentiel pour l'industrie des corps gras. Le Pequi est un fruit indigène du Brésil, issu des régions de l'Amazonie, de la Caatinga, du Cerrado et de la forêt Atlantique. C'est l'une des principales plantes offrant un grand potentiel d'utilisation durable dans le centre du Brésil. Parmi les 16 espèces que compte le genre Caryocar, trois se distinguent (C. brasiliense, C. villosum et C. coriaceum) en raison de leur importance économique pour les familles de petites communautés de la région du Cerrado brésilien. Elles sont généralement organisées en coopératives et utilisent les feuilles pour préparer des extraits médicinaux et les fruits à des fins culinaires. Lorsque la vente de fruits frais est réduite, le pequi est commercialisé sous forme de fruits en conserve ou de liqueurs et de l'huile en est extrait. La récolte de fruits mûrs tombés de l'arbre tout en conservant des fruits à l'usine semble la meilleure voie pour une production durable. Le mésocarpe interne contient de 36 à 66 % d'huile (en poids sec) traditionnellement utilisée à des fins culinaires, médicales et cosmétiques. Cette huile contient 60 % d'acide oléique et 35 % d'acide palmitique, aptes à être utilisés en tant que matières grasses industrielles. La présence de triacylglycérol POO et POP confère à l'huile un intérêt particulier pour les industries cosmétiques et alimentaires. Les huiles de pulpe et de noyau ont été étudiées pour leurs effets sur la santé. Par modification physique, enzymatique ou chimique, l'huile a montré des utilisations potentielles en tant que substitut de beurre de cacao produit sans acides gras trans.

Assessment of chemical, nutritional and bioactive properties of Annona crassiflora and Annona muricata wastes

“…On order to expand the consumer market, it is necessary to develop new products with these fruits, e.g., jams, frozen pulps, cookies, food bars, ice cream, enriched flour, etc. (Carmo et al, 2012;Dias et al, 2003;Guedes et al, 2017;Dliveira et al, 2016;Santos & Silva, 2012;Silva et al, 2014a). Large amount of wastes, such as husks and seeds are discarded during the processing of fruits, and there is very little information on the exploitation of these by-products, thus, requiring further characterization.…”

Molecular dynamics studies of amylose plasticized with Brazilian Cerrado oils: part I

“…More specifically, with pequi (Caryocar brasiliense) and buriti (Mauritia flexuosa L.) fruits, which are used in the region with different purposes such as human and animal feeding [14,15] , cosmetic and medicinal uses [16] . The fundamental importance in its composition is the abundance in unsaturated fatty acids, with the predominance of oleic acid, between 50-80% in mass, and also, the presence of tocopherols and carothenoids [11,14,15] . They have proved to efficiently plasticize starch and enable fabrication of films by casting [2,3,7,11] .…”

Bioactive compounds and functional potential of pequi (<em>Caryocar</em> spp.), a native Brazilian fruit: a review

“…In addition, the authors report that the composition of pequi oil may have potential application in the food industry (i.e., less expensive chocolate substitute upon fractionation) and can be used without fractionation or hydrogenation for frying and cooking because of its low content of polyunsaturated fatty acids and a high content of oleic acid. Guedes et al (2017) reported that pequi oil is a source of POP, a TAG of great interest in the food industry. Its high contents of C18:1 and C16:0 is interesting for the food industry, either for cosmetic or oleochemical uses, and the TAG composition indicates its potential use as cocoa butter substitute.…”

“…However, other authors describe pequi as a popular denomination for the fruits of C. brasiliense, which grows in the Central-West Region of Brazil and the western part of the state Minas Gerais; while "piqui" would be considered the fruits of C. coriaceum, which grows in northeastern Brazil; and "pequiá" the fruits of C. villosum, which grows in the Amazon Region (Geocze et al, 2013;Costa et al, 2011;De Oliveira et al, 2010;Lima et al, 2007;Segall et al, 2006;Marx et al, 1997). These three species represent the main source of income for many small communities in Brazil (Leite et al, 2017;Guedes et al, 2017;Figueiredo et al, 2016;Costa et al, 2011;De Moraes Cardoso et al, 2013;Marx et al, 1997).…”