Physical properties of natural products: experimental determination and application of predictive methodology

• Grant number: 06/03520-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: October 01, 2006
• End date: September 30, 2007
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Food Science and Technology
• Principal Investigator: Antonio José de Almeida Meirelles
• Grantee: Fernanda Regina Paiva
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia de Alimentos (FEA). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 05/53095-2 - Phase equilibrium and separation processes of fatty and aqueous food solutions, AP.TEM

Abstract

Vegetable oils are relevant nutritional sources of energy, of essential fatty acids, of vitamins and of natural antioxidants. In general, they are processed in some manner before being conducted for human consumption. Besides, fatty products, as fatty acids, fatty esters, triacylglycerols, diacylglycerols e monoacylglycerols, are important oilchemical products, applicable in the food and chemical industry. In this context, the knowledge and description of the behavior of physical properties, as density and viscosity, as functions of processing variables, for types of vegetable oils, can be of great utility. This project of scientific initiation has the goal of determine experimental data for density and viscosity for a wide range of temperature for non-conventional vegetable oils in terms of human consumption, but relevant in relation of their chemical composition, and adjust predictive empirical equations to the measured experimental data. In addition, it will be analyzed the viability of using predictive methodologies based in the concept of group contribution, considering each oil as a multicomponent mixture of triacylglycerols. For this study, the vegetable oils extracted from Babassu, Buriti, Brazil Nut, Macadamia Nut and Grape Pip were selected. (AU)