SUMMARY:Buriti oil is an example of an Amazonian palm oil of economic importance. The local population uses this oil for the prevention and treatment of different diseases; however, there are few studies in the literature that evaluate its properties. In this study, detailed chemical and antioxidant properties of Buriti oil were determined. The predominant fatty acid was oleic acid (65.6%) and the main triacylglycerol classes were tri-unsaturated (50.0%) and di-unsaturated-mono-saturated (39.3%) triacylglycerols. The positional distribution of the classes of fatty acids on the triacylglycerol backbone indicated a saturated and unsaturated fatty acid relationship similar in the three-triacylglycerol positions. All tocopherol isomers were present, with a total content of 2364.1 mg·kg −1 . α-tocopherol constitutes 48% of the total tocopherol content, followed by γ-tocopherol (45%). Total phenolic (107.0 mg gallic acid equivalent·g −1 oil) and β-carotene (781.6 mg·kg −1 ) were particularly high in this oil. The highest antioxidant activity against the free radical 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) was obtained at an oil concentration of 50 mg·mL −1 (73.15%). The antioxidant activity evaluated by the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) was 95.3 μmol Trolox equivalent·g −1 oil. These results serve to present Buriti oil as an Amazonian resource for cosmetic, food and pharmaceuticals purposes. KEYWORDS: Fatty acid; Minor compound; Radical scavenging activity; Regio-specific distribution; TriacylglycerolRESUMEN: Aceite de buriti de la Amazonia: Caracterización química y potencial antioxidante. El aceite de Buriti es un ejemplo de aceite de palma amazónica de gran importancia económica. La población local utiliza este aceite para la prevención y el tratamiento de diferentes enfermedades; sin embargo, hay pocos estudios científicos que evalúen sus propiedades. En este estudio, se determinaron las propiedades antioxidantes del aceite de Buriti. El ácido graso predominante fue el oleico (65,6 %) y las principales clases de triglicéridos fueron tri-insaturadas (50,0 %) y Di-insaturados-mono-saturada (39,3 %). La distribución posicional de las clases de ácidos grasos en el esqueleto de triacilglicerol indicó una relación de ácidos grasos saturados e insaturados similar en las tres posiciones del triacilglicerol. Todas las isoformas de tocoferol estaban presentes, con un contenido total de 2364.1 mg·kg ) fueron particularmente altos en este aceite. La mayor actividad antioxidante contra el radical 1,1-difenil-2-picrilhidrazil libre (DPPH) se obtuvo a una concentración de aceite de 50 mg·mL −1 (73,15 %). La actividad antioxidante evaluadas por la capacidad de absorción de radicales de oxígeno (ORAC) fue 95,3 mmol Trolox equivalente·g −1 de aceite. Estos resultados presentan al aceite de Buriti amazónico como buen recurso con fines cosmético, alimenticio y farmacéutico.

Enzymatic interesterification is used to manipulate oil and fat in order to obtain improved restructured lipids with desired technological properties. However, with raw materials containing significant amounts of bioactive compounds, the influence of this enzymatic process on the bioactivity of the final product is still not clear. Thus, the aim of this study is to evaluate the antioxidant potential and modulatory effects of two raw materials from the Amazonian area, buriti oil and murumuru fat, before and after lipase interesterification, on human hepatoma cells (HepG2). The results indicate that minor bioactive compounds naturally found in the raw materials and their antioxidant capacity are preserved after enzymatic interesterification, and that the restructured lipids modulate HepG2 endogenous antioxidant enzyme.