Production, chemical composition, and fatty acid profile of milk from buffaloes fed with cupuaçu (Theobroma grandiflorum) cake and murumuru (Astrocaryum murumuru) cake in the Eastern Amazon.

The objective was to evaluate the effect of concentrate supplementation using by-products of the Amazonian industry on milk production, milk composition, and milk fatty acid profile of dairy buffaloes. Twelve lactating buffaloes (544.5 ± 35.6 kg, 6.4 ± 2.2 years old, 59 ± 6 days in milk) were allotted in a pasture of Mombaça grass and managed under rotational grazing (4 days occupancy/28 days rest). A 3 × 3 Latin square was adopted, and each animal alternately received three supplementary treatments based on corn bran + soybean meal or cupuaçu cake or murumuru cake for 21 days per treatment. Murumuru cake increased the levels of lauric acid and myristic acid in the milk (p < 0.05). Murumuru cake reduced the unsaturated fatty acid contents in the milk compared with animals fed control diet or cupuaçu cake (24.27% vs. 25.24% vs. 25.08%). The n-6/n-3 ratio was 2.6, 1.97, and 2.0 in the control, cupuaçu, and murumuru groups, respectively. Based on this parameter, cakes made from cupuaçu as well as murumuru could be considered to be adequate for inclusion in dairy water buffalo feed. However, the murumuru cake addition requires some caution because its use induces the secretion of higher levels of lauric and myristic fatty acids that are related to human cardiovascular disease.

Enzymatic interesterification effect on the physicochemical and technological properties of cupuassu seed fat and inaja pulp oil blends.

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of enzymatic interesterification process in blends with different proportions (w:w) of cupuassu fat and inaja oil (80:20, 70:30, 60:40, 50:50 and 40:60). The interesterification reaction was carried out at 65 °C, agitation at 150 rpm, and enzyme concentration of 5% (w/w), for 6 h. Acidity index, melting point, consistency and solid fat content of the blends were characterized before and after the interesterification process. Fatty acid content was characterized in cupuassu fat and inaja oil and, nutritional quality indexes of atherogenicity (AI) and thrombogenicity (TI) were calculated. Enzymatic interesterification promoted a decrease in acidity (<0.6%) and changes in the blends' properties, making them suitable for food product preparation. All esterified blends (cupuassu seed fat:inaja pulp oil) presented suitable consistency properties, plasticity and spreadability to be used for the preparation of functional, table and soft table types of margarine and used in food preparation such as special fats.

Technological properties of amazonian oils and fats and their applications in the food industry.

The application of lipids to food production is dependent on their physical, chemical, and nutritional properties. In this study, pracaxi oil, passion fruit oil, cupuassu fat, and palm stearin underwent physicochemical analyses and were combined at ratios of 40:60, 50:50, 60:40, and 70:30 to assess their potential applications in the food industry. Pracaxi oil, passion fruit oil, and cupuassu fat had interesting fatty acid profiles from a nutritional standpoint, displaying the lowest atherogenicity and thrombogenicity indices (0.02 and 0.14; 0.12 and 0.34; 0.16 and 0.65), respectively. Palm stearin had high thermal stability (7.23h). The primary applications of the blends obtained in this study are in table and functional margarine, particularly the pracaxi-stearin and passion fruit-stearin 40:60 and 50:50, pracaxi-cupuassu 60:40 and 70:30, and passion fruit-cupuassu 40:60 blends. The results suggest new industrial applications, especially for pracaxi and passion fruit oils, which are commonly applied in the cosmetic industry.