Essential and fixed oils from Amazonian fruits: proprieties and applications

Abstract

The Amazon biome is rich in oilseed plant species, which have essential physical–chemical, nutritional and pharmacological properties, in addition to potential economic value for different biotechnological and industrial applications. In the extraction of fixed oils, some Amazon fruit that are oleaginous matrices are acquiring more prominence, such as tucumã (Astrocaryum vulgare), pupunha (Bactris gasipaes), buriti (Mauritia flexuosa), Brazil nut (Bertholletia excelsa), pracaxi (Pentaclethra macroloba), patawa (Oenocarpus bataua), among others. These oilseed fruits have natural antioxidants, essential fatty acids, and good oxidative stability. The essential oils from these oilseed species have antibiotic and anti-inflammatory properties, in addition to the presence of natural antioxidants, such as carotenoids and tocopherols. Thus, Amazonian oilseed species are valuable resources. For these properties to be preserved during fruit processing, the process of extracting the oil is critical. More studies are needed on their properties and applications, seeking to add commercial value, and the optimization of oils and fats processing to obtain quality products. Therefore, this article aims to present Amazonian fruits’ potential to obtain fixed and essential oils and possible application in the food industry.

Keywords:

• Amazon biome
• biodiversity
• exotic oilseeds
• vegetable oils

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES, Brazil) and the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq, Brazil) for financial support.

Disclosure statement

The authors reported no potential conflict of interest.

Figure 1. Bacupari fruit (Garcinia Gardneriana).

Figure 2. Tucumã (Astrocaryum vulgare Mart.).

Figure 3. Pupunha (Bactris gasipaes).

Figure 4. Açaí (Euterpe oleracea).

Figure 5. Cupuaçu (Theobroma grandiflorum) (Souza and Souza 2018).

Figure 6. Buriti (Mauritia flexuosa) (Ferreira et al. 2018).

Figure 7. Pracaxi (Pentaclethra macroloba) (Silva and Durigan 2018).

Figure 8. Murumuru (Astrocaryum murumuru Mart.) (Bezerra 2012).

Figure 9. Brazil nut (Bertholletia excelsa) (Cavalcanti 2014).

Figure 10. Copaíba (Copaifera langsdorfii) (World of Oils 2020).