Improving the chemical properties of Buriti oil (Mauritia flexuosa L.) by enzymatic interesterification

Abstract

Although Amazonian oils present great potential for various applications, they have not been extensively explored for commercial use. In this study, the effects of enzymatic interesterification of buriti oil in relation to its triacylglycerol composition, regiospecific distribution of fatty acids, and minority compounds were evaluated. The results indicated that the lipase used in the reaction showed higher specificity for oleic acid and the sn-1 and sn-3 positions of triacylglycerol, generating more unsaturated structured lipids. There were increases of 11% and 12.5% in unsaturated-unsaturated-unsaturated triacylglycerol types and reductions of 12.1% and 16.2% in saturated-unsaturated-unsaturated triacylglycerol types after 6 and 24 hours of reaction, respectively. At 24 h of reaction, the structured lipid formed was totally unsaturated at the three triacylglycerol positions. In addition, as the reaction conditions were mild, the carotenoids and phenolic compounds were maintained in the structured lipids. The results indicate that the enzymatic interesterification can be an alternative to produce structured lipids with new functionalities, and diversify the application of this oil from the Amazon.