Evaluation of the biological potential of Amazonia exotic oils before and after enzymatic interesterification process for the production of new oils

• Grant number: 12/22829-4
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: March 01, 2013
• End date: February 28, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Nutrition - Nutrition Biochemistry
• Principal Investigator: Juliana Alves Macedo
• Grantee: Juliana Alves Macedo
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia de Alimentos (FEA). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Gabriela Alves Macedo

Abstract

In Brazil, especially in the Amazon, the wide availability of vegetable oils underexplored, with excellent nutritional properties, promotes interest in the study of the biological potential of these oils and the development of interesterified blends with high biological value and best technological features. The use of commercial immobilized lipase in interesterification reactions has grown in recent years, with positive results in the synthesis of products with higher commercial value, such as fat substitutes for breast milk and cocoa butter. Enzymatic interesterification is used to restructure triglyceride, inducing exchange of the fatty acids in the glycerol structure. Changes in the original composition of triacylglycerol, compared to a simple mixture of oil / fat, modifies its physicochemical and nutritional properties, thereby increasing the possible applications of these lipids. Thus, the objective of this study is to assess the biological potential, by measuring the antioxidant capacity of selected Amazonian oils and new oils generated from interesterified blends by enzymatic systems. For this project, oils and fats of the Amazon region little known outside their region of origin were chosen. However, according to the tradition of the local population, these fat materials have potential for industrial applications, and incipient handmade cosmetics industry based on these oils. The mixtures are composed by patauá oil combined with the fat of palm stearin; Buriti oil and combined with fat-Muru Muru. (AU)