Fatty acids composition and carotenoids in caiaué (elaeis oleifera) genotypes

Caiaué (Elaeis oleifera, family Oleaceae), known as American palm, is found native from the tropical zone of Latin America. The species is resistant to some pests that are common to the African palm tree (Elaeis guineensis) and produces oils with higher content of oleic and linoleic acids, vitamins and sterols than those found in palm oil. Embrapa has a germplasm bank caiaué that has already been characterized from the agronomic point of view, but little is known about the oil composition. In this study, the evaluation of 15 genotypes of caiaué from the bank of Embrapa Amazônia Ocidental was carried out, regarding the composition of fatty acids and the presence of carotenoids. The pulp of the fruit was lyophilized and the oil was extracted by the Soxhlet method. The fatty acid composition was determined by gas chromatography and the carotenoid content estimated by spectrophotometry. There was a considerable variation in the content of fatty acids among genotypes, the main ones being palmitic (C16:0), 21-31%; oleic acid (C18:1), 44-63%; and linoleic (C18:2), 12-21%. Most of the genotypes had carotenoid content between 1000 and 2000 mg/kg, ranging from 660 to 2287 mg/kg. These levels are among the highest ones observed for vegetable oils, with beta-carotene (pro-vitamin A) being the main component. The observed variation can be used for the selection of genotypes most suitable for the genetic improvement of palm hybrids.