# Potential of Supercritical _Acrocomia aculeata_ Oil and Its Technology Trends
## 4 Phytochemical Composition
### Carotenoids  
Carotenoids are liposoluble pigments widely distributed in nature that can be found in plants, algae, fungi, and some bacteria. They have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects in addition to being precursors of vitamin A. They are present in nature in their trans form and through isomerization in the cis form, which occurs in an acid medium, in the presence of light, or at elevated temperatures. The isomerization of its molecule  
\begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c} \hline \hline
**Composition** & **Pulp** & **Kernel** \\ \hline Protein (g/100 g) & 3.61–8.4 & 16.49–21.88 \\ Lipids & 31.88–43.22 & 52.08–56.67 \\ Carbohydrate (g/100 g) & 8.55–19.75 & 8.54–9.86 \\ Ash & 3.63–4.95 & 1.84–2.11 \\ Moisture (g/100 g) & 35.42–40.97 & 14.24–16.19 \\ Fiber (g/100 g) & - & - \\
**Energy (k/100 g)** & 1891.37 & 2522.30 \\
**Minerals** & & \\ K & 75–241.2 & 28.66–60.39 \\ P & 3.84–19.81 & 27.85–92.51 \\ Ca & 8.29–32.85 & 4.82–30.06 \\ Mg & 3.71 153.35 & 6.87–57.2 \\ Zn & 0.3–1.00 & 1.8–9.7 \\ Cu & 1.10–2.3 & 0.8–1.7 \\ Fe & 0.8–5.4 & 1.2–11.9 \\ Mn & 0.4–1.7 & 1.00–5.6 \\
**Total carotenoids (\(\beta\)-carotene) \(\mu\)g/g** & 694 \(\pm\) 8.31 & 26.1–36.1 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table}
Table 1: Proximal composition, energy, and minerals of pulp and kernel of _A. aculeata_[1].  
can occur during processing, reducing its color and biological activity, as cis compounds have less potential for conversion into vitamin A due to the spatial conformation of this structure [21]. These characteristics make the extraction method a point of attention in the study so that compounds with important bioactive activities are not degraded during processing, and processes that use high temperatures, for example, are not indicated.  
The carotenoid profile in the pulp and seed of _Acrocomia aculeata_ collected in different regions of Brazil showed about 11 carotenoids, with \(\beta\)-carotene (Figure 2) being the most abundant one with levels that varied significantly between regions from 106.69 to 265.23 \(\mu\)g/g in the pulp, while the seed presented similar results between regions with an average of 33.6 \(\mu\)g/g. Values higher than these were found in macaiba; authors identified a content of 694 \(\mu\)g/g of this carotenoid in macaiba [9]. The results indicate that macauba is a potential source of carotenoids [1].  
The concentration of carotenoids can vary according to the part of the fruit, degree of ripeness, and cultivation conditions. The carotenoid profile in macaiba was evaluated at three stages of ripeness, highlighting its importance as a promising nutritional source of lipophilic micronutrients. It was observed that the carotenoid profile of macaiba from Costa Rica differs significantly from the available data for samples from Brazil, suggesting genetic heterogeneity within the species [6; 7]. The same study found 25 carotenoids in macauba fruits at different stages of ripeness, including phytoene, phytofluene, zeaxanthin, and violaxanthin. The accumulation of carotenoid precursors and xanthophyll representatives cycle indicated the progress of the fruit ripening [7]. The study on the influence of the ripening stage on the content of \(\beta\)-carotene and lutein presence in the fruit indicates an increase in \(\beta\)-carotene and a decrease in lutein with the fruit ripening.