Obtenção do óleo e da polpa sem gordura do açaí (euterpe oleracea) por extração supercrítica: caracterização físico-química, estudo da citotoxicidade e vida de prateleira

Abstract

Açaí is a very important product for the development of the state of Pará, for the bioeconomy and the market has been growing. And currently the majority of the state’s production is just fruit pulp, hence the importance of new products with added value and the need to invest in new sustainable processes for the region’s development. Therefore, the objective of this work was to obtain the oil and pulp without açaí fat by supercritical extraction, determine the main bioactive compounds, evaluate the possible cytotoxicity in MRC-5 and VERO cells in vitro and evaluate the shelf life of the products. The freezedried açaí pulp was subjected to extraction with supercritical CO2, under the conditions 323,15 K at 35 MPa, 333,15 K at 42 MPa and 343,15 K at 49 MPa. The highest yield (51,74 %), carotenoids (277,09 μg/g), DPPH (2,55 μmol TE/g), ABTS (2,60 μmol TE/g) and FRAP (15,25 μm ferrous sulfate/g) from oil and ABTS (644,23 μmol TE/g) from pulp without fat were found at 343,15 K at 49 MPa condition. The highest contents of phenolic compounds (150,20 mg GAE/g d.b.), DPPH (414,99 μmol TE/g d.b.) and FRAP (746,2 μm ferrous sulfate/g) from pulp without fat were found at 323,15 K at 35 MPa condition. The pulp without fat presented high levels of anthocyanins without significant variation. The products did not present cytotoxicity. The half-life of the freeze-dried pulp and the fat-free pulp in the presence of light (Becker) was shorter than that of the packaging materials. The sealed packaging achieved a longer half-life compared to vacuum-sealed packaging for the freeze-dried pulp. However, for the fat-free pulp, the vacuum-sealed packaging showed a longer half-life compared to the sealed one. The results of the stability of açaí oil qualify it as a table oil rather than a frying oil, as it degrades more rapidly at higher temperatures. The results demonstrated that the products have potential applications in the industry.