Abstract

CORDERO, Julio et al. Characteristics of yagua palm (Attalea butyracea) fruits and their potential for oil production. Bioagro [online]. 2009, vol.21, n.1, pp.49-55. ISSN 1316-3361.

The potential of yagua palm fruits for oil production was evaluated in several parts of the fruit. The maximum potential for oil production was estimated to be higher than 2000 kg·ha^-1. The epicarp and mesocarp have 47.7 ± 1.37 % of dry matter (DM), 34.2 ± 0.75 % of ether extract (EE), 4.8 ± 0.21 % of simple phenols (SP), 6.9 ± 0.97 % of total polyphenols (TP), 2.2 ± 0.15 % total tannins (TT) and 5.88 ± 0.57 kcal·g^-1 gross energy (GE). Epicarp and mesocarp oil have pH 4.7 ± 0.60 and GE 9.3 ± 0.01 kcal·g^-1.  Among the extracted oil fatty acids profile the oleic was the predominant fatty acid in the mesocarp (64.0 %) and the lauric in the endosperm (42.9 %). There was 25.8 ± 0.57 and 74.2 ± 0.91 % of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, respectively. The iodine index was 74.75 ± 0.21 and the saponification index 186.65 ±1.27. The oil solid fats of mesocarp varied from 0.31 % at 10 ºC to 0.01 at 35 ºC, without dropping. The palm fruit showed their potential for oil production for animals or humans, since its mesocarp oil showed to be superior to that of the african plam, the mesocarp oil was higher quality.

Keywords : Nutritive quality; fatty acids; epicarp; mesocarp; endosperm.