Extraction of bacaba (

Characterization of Lipid Extracts from Different Colors of Peach Palm Fruits-Red, Yellow, Green, and White-Obtained through Ultrasound-Assisted Green Extraction

This study represents a pioneering investigation and comparative analysis of lipid extracts from four different colors of peach palm (Bactris gasipaes Kunt) fruits-red, yellow, green, and white-by employing a green method based on ethanolic ultrasound-assisted extraction. This study examined the extraction yield, physico-chemical-quality attributes, chromatographic profiles (GC), color measurements, total carotenoid content, differential thermogravimetry (TG/DTA), and infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The obtained lipid extracts displayed a high quality, considering the physico-chemical parameters of the Codex Alimentarius, and a fatty acids profile characterized by unsaturated fatty acids, notably omegas (ω-3, ω-6, and ω-9). The indices of atherogenicity (A.I.), thrombogenicity (I.T.), and hypocholesterolemic and hypercholesterolemic ratios revealed superior outcomes for the red peach palm lipid extract (approximately 0.35, 0.52, and 2.75, respectively), along with higher levels of β-carotene (748.36 µg of β-carotene per 100 g-1 of lipid extract) compared to the yellow, green, and white counterparts. Consequently, this research successfully demonstrates the efficacy of using a green extraction method in preserving the lipid's quality, which can display cardiovascular functionality and thermal stability. These findings underscore the considerable potential of peach palm lipid extract as a valuable raw material for diverse industrial applications across various sectors. The results support its utilization in the production of functional food products and nutraceuticals due to its favorable fatty acid composition, potent antioxidant properties exhibited by its high β-carotene content, and notable cardiovascular functionality indices.

Bacaba, Pracaxi and Uxi Oils for Therapeutic Purposes: A Scoping Review

Fruits such as bacaba (Oenocarpus bacaba Mart), pracaxi (Pentaclethra macroloba Kuntze) and uxi (Endopleura uchi (Huber) Cuatrec), from the Amazon rainforest, are potentially interesting for studies of natural products. The current article aims at mapping and characterizing studies on the bacaba, pracaxi and uxi species. This review reports the main bioactive compounds identified in these species and discusses their therapeutic potential. Searches were performed in MEDLINE (Via Pubmed) and Web of Science. Thirty-one studies that described or evaluated the development of formulations aimed at the therapeutic use of the species were included. The findings suggest that species have the potential for the development of pharmaceutical formulations due to their therapeutic properties. However, further studies are required to assess safety and efficacy of these products. Therefore, it is suggested that new research studies propose strategies so that technological development is based on awareness and preservation of the biome.

Organogel of Acai Oil in Cosmetics: Microstructure, Stability, Rheology and Mechanical Properties

Organogel (OG) is a semi-solid material composed of gelling molecules organized in the presence of an appropriate organic solvent, through physical or chemical interactions, in a continuous net. This investigation aimed at preparing and characterizing an organogel from acai oil with hyaluronic acid (HA) structured by 12-hydroxystearic acid (12-HSA), aiming at topical anti-aging application. Organogels containing or not containing HA were analyzed by Fourier-transform Infrared Spectroscopy, polarized light optical microscopy, thermal analysis, texture analysis, rheology, HA quantification and oxidative stability. The organogel containing hyaluronic acid (OG + HA) has a spherulitic texture morphology with a net-like structure and absorption bands that evidenced the presence of HA in the three-dimensional net of organogel. The thermal analysis confirmed the gelation and the insertion of HA, as well as a good thermal stability, which is also confirmed by the study of oxidative stability carried out under different temperature conditions for 90 days. The texture and rheology studies indicated a viscoelastic behavior. HA quantification shows the efficiency of the HA cross-linking process in the three-dimensional net of organogel with 11.22 µg/mL for cross-linked HA. Thus, it is concluded that OG + HA shows potentially promising physicochemical characteristics for the development of a cosmetic system.

Isolation of Cherry Seed Oil Using Conventional Techniques and Supercritical Fluid Extraction

This study aims to compare the suitability of three extraction techniques (cold pressing, Soxhlet and supercritical fluid extraction (SFE)) to isolate oil from cherry seeds. Oils were examined in terms of extraction yield, fatty acids profile, tocopherols yield and antioxidant activity. Additionally, influence of SFE parameters was evaluated using one-factor-at-a-time design with pressure (200−350 bar), temperature (40−70 °C), flow rate (0.2−0.4 kg/h) and particle size (<800 µm and >800 µm). Oil yields ranged from 2.50% to 13.02%, whereas the highest yield was achieved with SFE. Samples were rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, regardless of the applied extraction technique. The main fatty acids were linoleic (46.32−47.29%), oleic (40.89−41.65%), palmitic (6.56−8.00%) and stearic (2.21−2.30%) acid. Total tocopherols yield was between 16.63 mg/100 g oil and 60.61 mg/100 g oil, and highest yield was achieved with SFE. Among the tocopherols, γ-tocopherol was the most abundant, followed by α-, δ- and β-tocopherol. Antioxidant activity was determined using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2’-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic) cation (ABTS) assays, and the results indicated that SFE extracts exhibited better or comparable antioxidant potential compared to traditional techniques. The comparison between modern and conventional extractions for oil recovery demonstrates pros and cons for the possibility of industrial application.

Nutraceutical potential of Amazonian oilseeds in modulating the immune system against COVID-19 - A narrative review

Since the outbreak of COVID-19 disease, medical and scientific communities are facing a challenge to contain its spread, develop effective treatments, and reduce its sequelae. Together with the therapeutical treatments, the use of dietary bioactive compounds represents a promising and cost-effective strategy to modulate immunological responses. Amazonian oilseeds are great sources of bioactive compounds, thus representing not only a dietary source of nutrients but also of substances with great interest for human health. This narrative review compiled the available evidence regarding the biochemical properties of some Amazonian oilseeds, especially Brazil nut, Açaí berry, Bacaba, Peach palm, Sapucaya and Tucuma fruits, on human health and its immune system. These effects were discussed from an etiological and pathophysiological perspective, emphasizing their potential role as a co-adjuvant strategy against COVID-19. Besides this, the cost associated with these strategies hinders their applicability in many nations, especially low-income countries and communities living in social insecurity.

Emerging Lipids from Arecaceae Palm Fruits in Brazil

Arecaceae palm tree fruits (APTFs) with pulp or kernel rich in oil are widely distributed in six Brazilian biomes. APTFs represent a great potential for the sustainable exploitation of products with high added value, but few literature studies have reported their properties and industrial applications. The lack of information leads to underutilization, low consumption, commercialization, and processing of these fruit species. This review presents and discusses the occurrence of 13 APTFs and the composition, physicochemical properties, bioactive compounds, and potential applications of their 25 oils and fats. The reported studies showed that the species present different lipid profiles. Multivariate analysis based on principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) indicated a correlation between the composition of pulp and kernel oils. Myristic, caprylic, capric, and lauric acids are the main saturated fatty acids, while oleic acid is the main unsaturated. Carotenoids and phenolic compounds are the main bioactive compounds in APTFs, contributing to their high oxidative stability. The APTFs oils have a potential for use as foods and ingredients in the cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and biofuel industries. However, more studies are still necessary to better understand and exploit these species.

Chemical-functional composition of Terminalia catappa oils from different varieties

This study aimed to extract and physical-chemically characterize Terminalia catappa L. kernel oil from purple (CR) and yellow (CA) varieties. Physical-chemical parameters, composition of fatty acids, nutritional quality indices, bioactive compounds and antioxidant capacity of both oil varieties were evaluated according to the literature. Both oils presented low levels of acidity and peroxides, besides the predominance of unsaturated fatty acids, ~63% of oleic and ~26% of linoleic acids, which influenced its nutritional indices. The CR oil variety exhibited a higher content in anthocyanin (18.3 ± 1.5 mg·100 g-1), ascorbic acid (68.4 ± 2.02 mg·100 g-1) and total polyphenol contents (152.3 ± 2.4 mg GAE·g-1), and a good antioxidant activity (38.6 ± 2.2 μg TE·g-1) determined by TEAC assay, when compared to the CA oil (p < 0.05). Therefore, the results confirm the importance of T. catappa as a lipid source for human consumption to be used in the development of food products.

Comparison of Four Oil Extraction Methods for Sinami Fruit (Oenocarpus mapora H. Karst): Evaluating Quality, Polyphenol Content and Antioxidant Activity

The sinami palm (Oenocarpus mapora H. Karst) is a plant from the South American Amazonia that has great potential for industrial applications in the development of functional foods, nutraceuticals and cosmeceuticals. In this manuscript, the physicochemical properties, total polyphenol content and antioxidant activity of sinami oil that was obtained using four extraction systems, namely expeller press extraction (EPE), cold press extraction (CPE), ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) and supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), were studied and compared. The oxidative stability (OSI) was statistically non-significant in EPE and SFE. The chromatic properties (CIELab) were influenced by the extraction methods and SFE presented high values of L* and a lower content of plant pigments. Ultrasound-assisted extraction showed a higher content of polyphenols and higher antioxidant activity. Different analyses for the evaluation of the physicochemical properties, the content of total polyphenols and antioxidant activity were used to classify sinami oil according to chemometrics using principal component analysis (PCA). For example, the sinami oil that was obtained using each extraction method was in a different part of the plot. In summary, sinami oil is an excellent resource for plant pigments. Additionally, the information that was obtained on the quality parameters in this study provided a good foundation for further studies on the characterization of major and minor compounds.

Bioactive Compounds and Evaluation of Antioxidant, Cytotoxic and Cytoprotective Effects of Murici Pulp Extracts (Byrsonima crassifolia) Obtained by Supercritical Extraction in HepG2 Cells Treated with H2O2

The use of clean technologies in the development of bioactive plant extracts has been encouraged, but it is necessary to verify the cytotoxicity and cytoprotection for food and pharmaceutical applications. Therefore, the objective of this work was to obtain the experimental data of the supercritical sequential extraction of murici pulp, to determine the main bioactive compounds obtained and to evaluate the possible cytotoxicity and cytoprotection of the extracts in models of HepG2 cells treated with H2O2. The murici pulp was subjected to sequential extraction with supercritical CO2 and CO2+ethanol, at 343.15 K, and 22, 32, and 49 MPa. Higher extraction yields were obtained at 49 MPa. The oil presented lutein (224.77 µg/g), oleic, palmitic, and linoleic, as the main fatty acids, and POLi (17.63%), POO (15.84%), PPO (13.63%), and LiOO (10.26%), as the main triglycerides. The ethanolic extract presented lutein (242.16 µg/g), phenolic compounds (20.63 mg GAE/g), and flavonoids (0.65 mg QE/g). The ethanolic extract showed greater antioxidant activity (122.61 and 17.14 µmol TE/g) than oil (43.48 and 6.04 µmol TE/g). Both extracts did not show cytotoxicity and only murici oil showed a cytoprotective effect. Despite this, the results qualify both extracts for food/pharmaceutical applications.

CO2 supercritical fluid extraction of pulp and nut oils from Terminalia catappa fruits: Thermogravimetric behavior, spectroscopic and fatty acid profiles

The aim of this study was to investigate the attributes of the pulp and nut oils from Terminalia catappa fruits obtained by supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) with pressurized CO₂. The yield, physico-chemical characterization and fatty acid profiles of both oils were assessed based on their acidity and peroxide indices, thermogravimetric behavior, infrared spectroscopic and gas chromatographic analyses. The extraction yields were 7.4% and 61.5% for the pulp and nut from T. catappa, respectively. The pulp and nut oils exhibited low levels of acidity, 3.3 and 1.9 mg KOH g^-1, and peroxides, 3.8 and 1.7 mEq kg^-1, respectively. These values are lower than the maximum recommended levels given by the Codex Alimentarius for virgin oils (4.0 mg KOH g^-1 and 15 mEq Kg^-1, respectively). Unsaturated fatty acids were a major constituent of the oils (58%), of which omegas 3 and 6 were predominant. The infrared spectroscopy of the nut oil showed high intensity bands between 2912 and 716 cm^-1, representative of chemical groups commonly present in unsaturated fatty acids. The pulp oil displayed higher thermal stability than the nut oil, whereby the initial degradation temperatures (T_onset) were 280 °C and 230 °C, respectively. This difference may be related to a greater amount of saturated fatty acids in the pulp oil compared to the nut oil. Thus, both pulp and nut oils displayed good physicochemical properties, which are desirable in diverse industrial sectors.