Obtenção de extratos com potencial bioativo a partir da polpa do piquiá (caryocar villosum (aubl.) pers.) utilizando dióxido de carbono no estado supercrítico

Abstract

In a context of increasing demand for substances with health-beneficial properties, extracts from certain plant species found in the Amazon are a promising source of bioactive compounds. Caryocar villosum (Aubl.) Pers., a native fruit of the Amazon region commonly known as piquiá, is regarded as a source of bioactive compounds. This study investigated the supercritical extraction process of piquiá pulp to evaluate the process parameters, overall yield, extraction kinetics, fatty acid profile, α-tocopherol content, functional quality, and physicochemical characterization. The influence of extraction temperature, pressure, and solvent density on the extraction yield was considered. The quality of the obtained extracts was assessed in terms of fatty acid profile, functional quality indices, physicochemical characterization, and α-tocopherol content. A kinetic study of the piquiá extraction with supercritical fluid was conducted using experimental data and mathematical models. The extraction yield was found to increase with pressure at each isotherm, with the highest yield reaching 62.74% and the lowest at 44.01%. The kinetic mathematical models of Martinez and Barton demonstrated good performance in correlating the extraction process of piquiá pulp. The primary fatty acids observed in the extracts obtained under all operational conditions were oleic and palmitic acids. The extract obtained at the operational condition of 60 °C and 250 bar exhibited the highest α-tocopherol content compared to the other experimental conditions in this study. The results indicated that the extracts from piquiá pulp obtained through supercritical CO₂ extraction present significant potential for the industry due to their functional quality.