Characterization of Oil Extracted from Buriti Fruit (Mauritia flexuosa) Grown in the Brazilian Amazon Region

Five samples of buriti oil from industrial and artisanal suppliers were characterized in terms of nutritional quality parameters (nutraceutical levels) and acidity. As a first screening, each sample was analyzed by titration, spectrophotometry and an HPLC method, and the results were compared. As expected, artisanal samples showed lower acidity and higher levels of carotenes and tocols (tocopherols and tocotrienols). A blend of industrial and artisanal samples in suitable proportions was completely characterized in terms of analytical and physico-chemical properties, i.e., fatty acid composition, iodine value, partial and total acylglycerol contents, refractive index (40 °C), saponification value, unsaponifiable matter, acidity (expressed as % of oleic acid), peroxide value, phosphorus content, oil stability index, tocol and carotene concentrations. The results of the present study showed that buriti oil is a valuable source of monounsaturated fatty acids, and vitamins A and E. No previous work in the literature has analyzed buriti oil to this extent. The chromatographic method using HPLC was effective in qualifying and quantifying tocopherols, tocotrienols and carotenes.