Study of the Feasibility of Extracting Babassu Seed Oil by Extraction in an Ultrasonic Bath Using Organic Solvents
Authors: Yaekashi Karolina Sanches , Josefovicz Matheus , Bençal Geslia Thaise , Inglez Simone Delezuk , Watanabe Erica Roberta Lovo da Rocha 
Published: October 2024

Introduction: Orbignia speciosa or phalerata (babassu) is an oilseed plant of great economic importance. The structure of the babassu fruit is similar to that of a coconut, and is composed of four parts: epicarp, mesocarp, endocarp and the seed, which contains approximately 60% oil, where lauric acid predominates in its composition, which is mainly responsible for the antiviral, antifungal and bactericidal activities of babassu oil. Babassu oil is a vegetable oil widely used in the food industry, and it also has wide application in the cosmetic, pharmaceutical and chemical industries. The objective of this work will be to use organic solvents in the extraction of oil from the babassu seed by the ultrasonic bath method with hexane, and with less toxic solvents such as ethyl acetate, isopropanol and ethanol. The kinetic curve of the extraction process will be determined to define the time required to reach saturation, establishing the time found as the ideal for the process. The fatty acid composition will be determined by gas chromatography. The antioxidant activity will be analyzed according to the adapted method of free radical capture by ultraviolet and visible spectrophotometry (UV-VIS). This method is based on the capture of the DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical by antioxidants, producing a decrease in absorbance. After the interpretation and correlation of the results, it will be possible to establish the factors that present the best performance for the extraction of babassu oil and its chemical properties and compare them with the oil obtained using hexane.

Objective: The objective of this study is to investigate the extraction of babassu seed oil with different organic solvents in order to evaluate the possibility of replacing hexane with a less toxic alternative solvent using the ultrasound extraction method.

Theoretical Framework: A large amount of waste is produced by the food and agricultural industries, such as pulp, skins, seeds and fruit peels, some of which are considered by-products with a certain economic value. Babassu seed oil is rich in lauric acid, which has anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory activities, among others.

Method: The methodology used is experimental and applied in stages; the ideal oil extraction conditions were verified, the extraction was carried out using different organic solvents, the oil content obtained was quantified, the fatty acids were characterized, the antioxidant activity was determined using the DPPH method and finally the results obtained were compared.

Results and Discussion: The oils obtained from the babassu seed through extraction in an ultrasonic bath with different organic solvents proved to be a promising by-product due to the characteristics evaluated.

Research Implications: The oils obtained through organic solvents presented similar characteristics to those obtained with hexane, thus enabling its replacement due to it being a more toxic solvent.

Originality/Value: This study contributes to the literature on vegetable oils extracted through green technologies with organic solvents, adding value to a by-product of a native fruit.