Yield, nutritional quality, and thermal-oxidative stability of Brazil nut oil (Bertolletia excelsa H.B.K) obtained by supercritical extraction Original Research Article

Functional and nutritional quality of oils is the most important parameter in food-related areas of study. The applicability of these products depends directly on the cost-benefit analysis and extraction yield. The objective of this study was to evaluate the yield, nutritional quality, and thermaloxidative stability of the Brazil nut oil obtained by supercritical carbon dioxide extraction under different conditions of temperature and pressure. The results showed that the highest extraction yield was obtained at pressure of 300 bar and temperature of 60 °C. The quality and colorimetric evaluations revealed a material with strong tendency to yellow color. Its fatty acid profile showed predominance of unsaturated fatty acids (75%). It was thermally stable under progressive temperature increases up to 300 °C. The oxidative stability showed oxidation induction time around 14.85 h. The spectroscopic profile confirms the quality of the oil obtained without the presence of carbon compounds that could indicate oxidative degradation.