Estabilidade oxidativa dos óleos extraídos da polpa e da amêndoa do tucumã (Astrocaryum aculeatum) e seu potencial de aplicação

Abstract

The Amazon Rainforest hosts one of the greatest biodiversities on the planet, comprising species of remarkable food, nutritional, and technological interest. Among them, tucumã (Astrocaryum aculeatum) stands out as a fruit with high nutritional value that remains underexplored scientifically. The scarcity of studies on tucumã from the Amazon represents an important gap, particularly regarding the characterization and stability of oils obtained from its different parts, which limits their industrial and commercial utilization. This study aimed to evaluate the oxidative stability of oils extracted from the pulp (mesocarp) and kernel (endocarp) of tucumã, in order to assess their feasibility for application in the food industry. Oil extraction and physicochemical characterization were performed, including acidity, iodine, and peroxide values, carotenoid content, and induction period (Rancimat). The results revealed significant differences between the oils: pulp oil showed higher yield, elevated levels of unsaturated fatty acids (66.8%), higher initial oxidative stability (20 h), and carotenoid content (512µg/g), whereas kernel oil presented a higher concentration of saturated fatty acids (91.3%), initial oxidative stability of 10h. Both oils complied with ANVISA standards for edible oils and demonstrated promising potential for food applications. Thus, this study contributes to advancing knowledge on tucumã (Astrocaryum aculeatum), reinforcing its importance as an Amazonian natural resource of high nutritional and technological value and expanding the possibilities for the use of its oils in food and functional formulations.