Simone Palma Favaro

Effect of Acrocomia aculeata Kernel Oil on Adiposity in Type 2 Diabetic Rats

The macauba palm (Acrocomia aculeata) is native of tropical America and is found mostly in the Cerrados and Pantanal biomes. The fruits provide an oily pulp, rich in long chain fatty acids, and a kernel that encompass more than 50% of lipids rich in medium chain fatty acids (MCFA). Based on biochemical and nutritional evidences MCFA is readily catabolized and can reduce body fat accumulation. In this study, an animal model was employed to evaluate the effect of Acrocomia aculeata kernel oil (AKO) on the blood glucose level and the fatty acid deposit in the epididymal adipose tissue. The A. aculeata kernel oil obtained by cold pressing presented suitable quality as edible oil. Its fatty acid profile indicates high concentration of MCFA, mainly lauric, capric and caprilic. Type 2 diabetic rats fed with that kernel oil showed reduction of blood glucose level in comparison with the diabetic control group. Acrocomia aculeata kernel oil showed hypoglycemic effect. A small fraction of total dietary medium chain fatty acid was accumulated in the epididymal adipose tissue of rats fed with AKO at both low and high doses and caprilic acid did not deposit at all.

Oleaginous Biomass for Biofuels, Biomaterials, and Chemicals

Concerns about negative environmental impacts and questions of future availability surrounding the long-term use of fossil sources as a basis for production of fuels, and a plethora of derivatives, are matters of increasing importance. Consequently, plant biomass sources capable of efficiently replacing fossil fuel resources are gaining relevance as biofuels and in the oleochemical industry. The array of chemical compositions of vegetable oils and fats, the possibility of producing biomass in a sustainable way, and the development of routes for their transformation are the main drivers of this growing demand. This chapter covers topics of global production and consumption of the principal vegetable oil commodities, the comparative chemical composition of oils and fats, the potential use of the biological storage structures of oils and fats, the main processes of transforming oils into biofuels, and the production of bio-based polymers. Also, mechanisms of the functionalization of vegetable oils are stressed.

Macauba ( Acrocomia aculeata ) pulp oil quality is negatively affected by drying fruits at 60 ºC

This study aimed to determine if the quality of macauba pulp oil is affected by drying the whole fruits at 60 oC. Mature fruits were collected at every five days on the ground under 10 palm trees. A mixed batch of 3 kg of whole fruits, with three replications each, was dried in an oven with air circulation for 0, 12, 24, 36 and 48 h at 60 oC. After every drying time, dried fruits were pulped using an automated device, followed by oil extraction with hexane. Moisture and oil content were determined in the pulp, and the pulp oil quality was analyzed for fatty acid composition, free fatty acids content, peroxide value, molar absorptivity at 232 and 270 nm, refractive index, and total carotene content. The tested temperature was sufficient to decrease moisture to a range suitable for automated pulping, with the best combination and easier pulping being reached after 24 h of drying. In the first 12 h there was an apparent synthesis of unsaturated fatty acids and carotenes. The tested temperature was insufficient to avoid the enhancement of acidity since the beginning and throughout the drying period, nor the degradation of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Thus, it is concluded that drying of fresh fruits of macauba palm at 60 oC is not appropriate to obtain an overall good quality pulp oil for industrial purposes.