1. Introduction
The Brazilian Amazon region is rich in oleaginous plant species.
Vegetable oils and fats produced by these species have unique
compositions, as well as physicochemical and nutraceutical properties
(Bezerra, Rodrigues, de Oliveira, da Silva, & da Silva, 2017). In fact,
species such as the palm tree (Elaeis guineensis ) are
economically important for the region since they are widely used in the
food and pharmaceutical industries (Edem, 2002). However, the great
demand for natural oils and fats has brought attention to other
matrices.
The seed of Brazil nut tree (Bertholletiaexcelsa ) is considered
one of the major economically and industrially relevant Amazonian seeds,
presenting a high content of unsaturated fatty acids, which provides its
oil with interesting nutritional characteristics (Chunhieng, Hafidi,
Pioch, Brochier, & Didier, 2008).
Murumuru (Astrocaryum murumuru ) is a native plant from the Amazon
forest; its nuts present an exceptionally high oil content, around 40%,
with a beneficial fatty acids (FA) ratio of ω3:ω6,attracting the
interest of the fats and oils industry (Pereira Lima et al., 2017).
Tucuma (Astrocaryum vulgare ) is also a native species, from north
and northeast of Brazil, with fruits consisting of two main oleaginous
fractions, the pulp and the kernel. While the pulp produces an orange
oil rich in polyunsaturated FA, the kernel produces a fat rich in lauric
and myristic acid (Bora, Narain, Rocha, De Oliveira Monteiro, & De
Azevedo Moreira, 2001).
Bacuri (Platonia insignis ), another Amazonian vegetable matrix,
produces fruits composed of three main fractions: pulp, shell, and seed.
The pulp can be consumed with either raw or processed foods such as
juices, ice cream and jams. While the composition of bacuri fruit pulp
oil has already been evaluated in the literature (Hiane, Bogo, Ramos, &
Ramos Filho, 2003), a study of the composition and physical properties
of the fat extracted from their seeds has not been subject of any
previous report.
Pracaxi (Pentaclethramacroloba ) is a northern Brazilian oil seed
plant. Its fruits contain 4 to 8 seeds from which oil is extracted. This
oil has a high content of ω6 and ω9 FA, and is considered a natural
source of behenic acid (Pereira Lima et al., 2017).
Patawa (Oenocarpusbataua ) is a lesser known palm tree from the
Amazon region. The oil extracted from its pulp has a healthy FA content,
presenting a ratio of 18.5/81.5 (w/w) saturated/unsaturated FA (A. M. da
C. Rodrigues, Darnet, & Silva, 2010).
Characterization of the physical properties of these fats and oils is
essential in order to promote their industrial application. These
properties are in general directly related to the lipids’
triacylglycerol (TAG) composition. Furthermore, determining
technological aspects, such as melting and crystallization profiles, are
also quite important to develop fat-based food products (Walstra, Kloek,
& van Vliet, 2001). In this context, blends of fats and oils are
interesting alternatives for broadening industrial applications of
Amazon fats and oils, building specific physicochemical characteristics
and thermal behaviors.
Given the demand for new fats and oils, and the scarce amount of
research on physical properties of Amazon oils, this study was aimed at
the characterization of physical and physicochemical properties of six
vegetable fats and oils: murumuru fat, bacuri fat, tucuma kernel oil,
patawa oil, pracaxi oil, and Brazil nut oil, correlating them with their
triacylglycerol (TAG) profiles. Melting and crystallization behavior of
multiple blends was also investigated in order to identify potential
applications.