Abstract
The oils obtained from native palm fruits are considered new sources of high added value phytochemicals, making it necessary to know the composition of the less studied species in order to evaluate their economic potential. The objective of this study is to identify and quantify the arotenoids in palm fruit oils from the Brazilian Amazon: bacaba ( Oenocarpus bacaba ), buriti ( Mauritia flexuosa ), inaja ( Maximiliana maripa ), pupunha ( Bactris gasipaes ) and tucuma ( Astrocaryum vulgare ), by means of liquid phase extraction and HPLC-UV-vis. analysis. The results showed an extremely variable carotenoid content, from 13 mg·kg −1 in bacaba oil to more than 1000 mg·kg −1 in the tucuma one. The oils obtained from buriti, pupunha and tucuma displayed high concentrations of s-carotene, corresponding to fruits with the series s, s dominant metabolism. Upon analyzing the carotenoid profile in bacaba oil for the first time, an extraordinary dominance of the s, e pathway was observed, proving them to be oils with high lutein and α-carotene contents. Although the s, s pathway dominates in inaja oil, the exclusive and high lycopene content implies that LCY-E is barely active in these fruits, in contrast to what has been evidenced so far. It is therefore of the utmost importance to characterize these new potential sources of carotenoids.
Highlights
IntroductionThere has been great interest in the oils obtained from fruits. Amongst the contributing reasons for this are that they can be directly consumed without the need for refining (olives, avocadoes, palms) due to their extraction system, and their nutritional properties, considering the appropriate composition of fatty acids, sterols, carotenoids and antioxidants (Clement, 2005)
In recent years, there has been great interest in the oils obtained from fruits
All of them are used as raw materials for oil extraction for use in the food and cosmetic industries (Santos et al, 2013). Due to their chemical composition, the oils obtained from native palm fruits are considered new sources of high-added-value phytochemicals, since studies developed on certain species have shown that they have significant phytochemicals, such as unsaturated fatty acids, phytosterols, tocopherols and β-carotene, among others (Yuyama et al, 2003; Bereau et al, 2003; Rosso and Mercadante, 2007; Rodrigues et al, 2010; Mantúfar et al, 2010; VázquezOcmín et al, 2010)
Summary
There has been great interest in the oils obtained from fruits. Amongst the contributing reasons for this are that they can be directly consumed without the need for refining (olives, avocadoes, palms) due to their extraction system, and their nutritional properties, considering the appropriate composition of fatty acids, sterols, carotenoids and antioxidants (Clement, 2005). All of them are used as raw materials for oil extraction for use in the food and cosmetic industries (Santos et al, 2013). Due to their chemical composition, the oils obtained from native palm fruits are considered new sources of high-added-value phytochemicals, since studies developed on certain species have shown that they have significant phytochemicals, such as unsaturated fatty acids, phytosterols, tocopherols and β-carotene, among others (Yuyama et al, 2003; Bereau et al, 2003; Rosso and Mercadante, 2007; Rodrigues et al, 2010; Mantúfar et al, 2010; VázquezOcmín et al, 2010). According to Ambrósio et al (2006), β-carotene is a powerful antioxidant which protects against cardiovascular diseases once it has inhibited the oxidation process of low-density lipoproteins (LDL)
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