In a context of increasing demand for substances with health-beneficial properties,
extracts from certain plant species found in the Amazon are a promising source of
bioactive compounds. Caryocar villosum (Aubl.) Pers., a native fruit of the Amazon
region commonly known as piquiá, is regarded as a source of bioactive compounds. This
study investigated the supercritical extraction process of piquiá pulp to evaluate the
process parameters, overall yield, extraction kinetics, fatty acid profile, α-tocopherol
content, functional quality, and physicochemical characterization. The influence of
extraction temperature, pressure, and solvent density on the extraction yield was
considered. The quality of the obtained extracts was assessed in terms of fatty acid profile,
functional quality indices, physicochemical characterization, and α-tocopherol content. A
kinetic study of the piquiá extraction with supercritical fluid was conducted using
experimental data and mathematical models. The extraction yield was found to increase
with pressure at each isotherm, with the highest yield reaching 62.74% and the lowest at
44.01%. The kinetic mathematical models of Martinez and Barton demonstrated good
performance in correlating the extraction process of piquiá pulp. The primary fatty acids
observed in the extracts obtained under all operational conditions were oleic and palmitic
acids. The extract obtained at the operational condition of 60 °C and 250 bar exhibited
the highest α-tocopherol content compared to the other experimental conditions in this
study. The results indicated that the extracts from piquiá pulp obtained through
supercritical CO₂ extraction present significant potential for the industry due to their
functional quality.
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