Chemical and bioactive properties of the oils from Brazilian nuts

Resumo

This paper aims to determine the content of bioactive substances of lipid fractions extracted from Bertholletia excelsa, Lecythis pisonis and Dipteryx lacunifera, in by the interest of better identifying the quality of these raw materials. Proximate composition of nuts was determined by official methods and total carbohydrate was calculated by difference. The oils were extracted from the nuts by cold pressing and analyzed for fatty acid composition, tocopherols, phytosterols and total carotenoids and phenolics compounds. The fatty acid composition of oil extracted from L. pisonis was more unsaturated compared with others oils. L. pisonis oil showed to be richer in total tocopherol and γ-tocopherol, moreover showed considerable total phytosterol and carotenoid amounts, thus representing an important source of vitamins A and E. The oils showed significant content of phenolic compounds, with the exception of the oil extracted from D. lacunifera. The study revealed that the oils from Brazilian nuts contain bioactive compounds in relevant quantities, L. pisonis oil standing out. This fact favors their use for food and, as raw material in chemical, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries, adding value to products derived from these oils, increasing the viable sources of raw materials.