Interest in edible oil extraction processes is growing interest because the final nutritional quality of the extracted oil depends on the procedure used to obtain ir. In this context, a domestic cold oil press machine is a valuable tool that avoids the use of chemicals during oil extraction, in an environmentally friendly way. Although babassu (Attalea speciosa) oil is economically important in several Brazilian regions due to its nutritional and healthy features, few studies have been conducted on the chemical composition and stability of babassu oils extracted by cold pressing. Babassu oil’s major constituents are saturated fatty acids (~86.42%), with the most prevalent fatty acids being lauric (~47.40%), myristic (15.64%), and oleic (~11.28%) acids, respectively, within the recommended range by Codex Alimentarius, presenting atherogenicity and thrombogenicity indexes favorable for human consumption. Peroxide value, Rancimat, and TGA/DSC results indicated that babassu oil is stable to oxidation. Also, macro- (Na, K, Ca, Mg, P) and micro-elements (Fe, Mn, Cr, Se, Al, and Zn) of babassu oil were determined, revealing levels below the tolerable upper intake level (ULs) for adults. These findings demonstrated that cold-press extraction using a domestic machine yielded a high-quality oil that kept oil chemical composition stable to oxidation with natural antioxidants.

Mauritia flexuosa (Buriti) pulp oil contains bioactive substances and lipids that are protective against cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases. We performed physical and chemical analyses to verify its quality and stability. Buriti oil was stable according to the Rancimat test, presenting an induction period of 6.6 h. We evaluated the effect of supplementation with crude buriti oil and olive oil on metabolic parameters in 108 Swiss mice for 90 days. We investigated six groups: extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) 1 and 2 (1000 and 2000 mg/kg), buriti oil (BO) 1 and 2 (1000 and 2000 mg/kg), synergic (S) (BO1 + EVOO1), and control (water dose 1000 mg/kg). The animals were euthanized to examine their blood, livers, and fats. The supplementation did not interfere with food consumption, weight gain, and histological alterations in the liver. Group S showed the strongest relationship with the fractions HDL-c and non-HDL-c, indicating a possible cardioprotective effect. Moreover, we observed significantly higher IL-6 levels in the control, EVOO2, and BO1 groups than in the EVOO1 group. Resistin was also significantly higher for the synergic treatment than for the control. We conclude that BO combined with EVOO could be an excellent food supplement for human consumption.

The fruit of Caryocar brasiliense Cambess. is a source of oil with active compounds that are protective to the organism. In our work, we analyzed the physicochemical characteristics and evaluated the effects of supplementation with C. brasiliense oil in an animal model. We characterized the oil by indices of quality and identity, optical techniques of absorption spectroscopy in the UV–Vis region and fluorescence, and thermogravimetry/derived thermogravimetry (TG/DTG). For the animal experiment, we utilized mice (Mus musculus) supplemented with lipidic source in different dosages. The results demonstrated that C. brasiliense oil is an alternative source for human consumption and presents excellent oxidative stability. Primarily, it exhibited oleic MFA (53.56%) and palmitic SFA (37.78%). The oil level of tocopherols and tocotrienols was superior to the carotenoids. The supplementation with C. brasiliense oil reduced the levels of total cholesterol, LDL-c, and non-HDL-c. Regarding visceral fats and adiposity index, the treatment synergically supplemented with olive oil and C. brasiliense oil (OO + CO) obtained the best result. Therefore, C. brasiliense oil is a high quality product for consumption. Its supplementation promotes beneficial effects mainly on the lipidic profile.

Thermoanalytical Methods in Verifying the Quality of Biodiesel | InTechOpen, Published on: 2015-09-30. Authors: Marcelo Y. Misutsu, Leandro F. Cavalheiro, Thiago G. Ricci, et