Mamey sapote seed oil (Pouteria sapota). Potential, composition, fractionation and thermal behavior

Abstract

The chemical composition of the waste from mamey sapote (Pouteria sapota) and its oil extracted from the seed (MSSO) of ripe and unripe fruits, was studied. The MSSO from ripe fruits was dry-fractionated, and the thermal and phase behaviors of its fractions and their mixtures with other known natural fats were analyzed. The main components of the mamey peel and the seed were crude fiber (81.32%) and fat (44.41% db), respectively. The seed oil contained oleic, stearic, palmitic and linoleic as its main fatty acids. The MSSO showed a simple thermal behavior with a broad fusion range and four maximum temperature peaks. The solid fractions showed maximum melting peaks at higher temperatures than the residual liquid. The MSSO solid fractions showed a potential for use as constituents in mixtures with other natural fats, such as cocoa butter or mango seed fat.