Controle de qualidade do óleo de buriti (mauritia flexuosa) a partir de suas características físico-químicas comparando duas amostras do Distrito Federal

Abstract

Vegetable oils are one of the main derivatives of plants and are mainly composed of triglycerides, which are included in the lipid class. Triglycerides at room temperature may be in liquid or solid forms. An important source for oil extraction is buriti (Mauritia flexuosa), a common fruit in the Brazilian cerrado. Buriti is widely used in cooking because it contains nutrients that are rich in vitamin A,calcium, phosphorus and iron. The oil extracted from buriti helps in wound healing, as it has bactericidal action and acts as an antioxidant, and is widely used for the manufacture of cosmetics and personal care products. However, the high cost of buriti oil and the lack of commercial establishments that sell it, eventually lead the consumer to places where the product is sold without proper quality assurance, but with low cost. In this context, the present work analyzed a buriti oil purchased at a street fair and another bought at a specialized store. The results of physicochemical analyzes were obtained by means of solubility tests, Schaal greenhouse, peroxide index, acidity index and microbiological growth control. Overall, the results showed similar characteristics between the two samples, however, the oil purchased from a specialized store had a much higher acidity index compared to the street fair.