Extraction, determination of the fatty profile and potential application of oil from the seeds of Bombacopsis retusa A. Robyns

In Brazil there is a semi-arid region of the Bahia State where the transition between caatinga and cerrado prevails. The Bombacopsis retusa (Mart. & Zucc.) A. Robyns belongs to Bombacaceae family, and is frequent in this region. Fruit of Bombacopsis retusa have seeds edible by native fauna and appreciated as appetizer nut in small local villages. With the purpose of verifying the potential application of the oil of this species in different industrial segments, the crude oil of Bombacopsis retusa seeds was extracted with Soxhlet apparatus with 55.5% yield. The physical and chemical analyses to determine the oleochemical indices showed acid value of 0.09 mg [KOH.sup.-1] [g.sup.-1], iodine value of 62.80 g [I2.sup.-1] 100 [g.sup.-1], saponification index of 192.80 mg [KOH.sup.-1] [g.sup.-1], refractive index (40°C) of 1.468 and a melting point of 43.90°C. To determine the fatty profile of this oil was applied the CG-DIC that revealed the predominance of palmitic (59.98%), oleic (19.25%) and linoleic (8.47%) acids, besides the saturated/unsaturated fatty acids ratio equal to 2.70. These results suggested that the oil of Bombacopsis retusa is a functional, sustainable and competitive raw-material to be used in agro-energy, food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. Keywords: Bombacaceae, fixed oil, gas chromatography, fatty-acids. No Brasil existe uma regiao semi-arida no Estado da Bahia onde a transicao entre o bioma caatinga e cerrado e predominante. A Bombacopsis retusa (Mart. & Zucc.) A. Robyns pertence a familia Bombacaceae e e frequente nesta regiao. Os frutos da Bombacopsis retusa apresentam sementes comestiveis pela fauna nativa e apreciacao como castanha aperitiva em pequenos povoados locais. No intuito de verificar o potencial de aplicacao do oleo desta especie em diferentes segmentos industriais, o oleo bruto das sementes da Bombacopsis retusa pode ser obtido atraves da extracao com dispositivo de Soxhlet em 55,50% de rendimento. As analises fisico-quimicas realizadas para determinacao dos indices oleoquimicos mostraram indice de acidez de 0,09 mg [KOH.sup.-1] [g.sup.-1], indice de iodo de 62,80 g [I2.sup.-1] 100 [g.sup.-1], indice de saponificacao de 192,80 mg [KOH.sup.-1] [g.sup.-1], indice de refracao (40°C) de 1,468 e ponto de fusao de 43,90°C. Para determinacao do perfil graxo deste oleo foi aplicada a CG-DIC que revelou a predominancia dos acidos palmitico (59,98%), oleico (19,25%) e linoleico (8,47%), alem da relacao do total de acidos gra