Physicochemical and nutritional aspects of babassu coconut almond and oil (Orbignya phalerata Mart.)

Abstract

The potential use of babassu (Orbignya phalerata Mart.) in several activities is large. In view of these facts, this study aimed to determine the physicochemical composition of the babassu almond (OpAM) and evaluate the chemical, physical and physicochemical aspects of babassu coconut oil isolated by different methods of extraction. Babassu nut oil was removed by extraction with a hot solvent (Soxhlet) (OpS), hydraulic pressure (OpHP) and cold extraction (Blight and Dyer) (OpBD). Two artisanal samples from the states of Pará (OpP) and Maranhão (OPM) were also tested. OpAM presented 2% protein, 49.5% fat, 42.4% carbohydrates and water activity of 0.670. No statistical differences were found between the babassu coconut extraction techniques which presents saturated fatty acids as major oil fatty acids, especially lauric (41.6%), myristic (14.6%) and unsaturated oleic (15.7%). No samples tested positive in the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances test, and they also showed low levels of acidity. Babassu coconut oil showed good oxidative stability with a high induction period. The samples tended to green and yellow colors, and the babassu oil extracted by Soxhlet was less viscous than the others.

Babassu kernel oil: Enhanced extraction and chemical characterization

“…Table 4 shows the chemical composition of BKO extracted by UAE and Soxhlet extraction. As can be seen in this table, the extraction method did not affect the fatty acid profile of BKO which is mainly composed of lauric acid and myristic acid responsible for the highly saturated composition of the oil (~86%), as already reported (Costa et al, 2020; Ferrari & Soler, 2015). Lauric acid is commonly found in coconut oil and its intake is associated with health benefits such as anticancer effects (Lappano et al, 2017) and anti‐inflammatory (Nishimura et al, 2018), in addition to having anti‐microbial properties (Dayrit, 2015), which enhances the application of this oil in the food and pharmaceutical industries.…”

“…The higher yield of Soxhlet extraction can be attributed to the extraction of non-lipid compounds such as waxes and unsaponifiable materials (Özcan et al, 2019), due to the long period of contact with the heated solvent. The Y o obtained in these studies is in accordance with the values reported in the literature for babassu kernel, which vary from ~49.5% to ~60% (Costa et al, 2020;Oliveira, Mazzali, et al, 2019;Ramirez-Niño et al, 2018;Santos et al, 2013;Souza et al, 2019Souza et al, , 2021.…”

“…Kernel from babassu coconut consists of ~60 wt% of the oil (Costa et al, 2020; Ferrari & Soler, 2015; Santos et al, 2013), which has a translucent appearance and a high content of fatty acids such as lauric and myristic acids (Bauer et al, 2020; Ferrari & Soler, 2015; Oliveira, Garcia, et al, 2019). Due to the predominance of saturated chain fatty acids, babassu kernel oil (BKO) has high oxidative stability (Bauer et al, 2020; Freire et al, 2012; Melo et al, 2014, 2019) and antioxidant capacities due to the presence of phytosterols, such as β‐Sitosterol (Oliveira, Mazzali, et al, 2019) and campesterol (Bezerra & Antoniosi Filho, 2014; Lima & Block, 2019).…”

“…The literature reports the extraction of babassu kernel oil (BKO) using a Soxhlet extractor with n ‐hexane (Costa et al, 2020; Ramirez‐Niño et al, 2018; Santos et al, 2013), cold pressing (Costa et al, 2020; Souza et al, 2021), supercritical CO 2 extraction (Oliveira, Mazzali, et al, 2019), and pressurized liquid extraction com ethanol e isopropanol (Oliveira, Garcia, et al, 2019). Studies related to obtaining this oil by UAE using n ‐hexane as a solvent and the determination of the experimental conditions to obtain the BKO before this strategy are scarce, however, it is considered relevant to obtain these data considering the advantages of the extraction technique and the solvent and constitutes the main contribution of this study in the area.…”

Babassu Cake in Goat Diet Improves Growth Performance and Quality and Fatty Acid Profile of Meat

“…[ 6 ] Babassu is considered the world's largest source of wild nut oil, accounting for 60–72% weight of the kernel. [ 7 ] The industrial extraction of this oil generally involves a mechanical press and the use of solvents, generating ≈337 kg of waste for each ton of kernels used. [ 8 ] The waste generated is called BC, which is widely used for feeding ruminants in the region where it is produced.…”