Commercial name | Brazil nut oil |
CAS # | 356065-50-4 |
Botanical name | Bertholletia excelsa |
Plant part | Fruit/Nut |
Origin | Brazil |
Manufacturing place | Brazil |
Brazil Nut Oil
The Brazil nut is, in fact, a seed rather than a nut, but popular usage continues to prevail. Nutritionally, Brazil nuts are an excellent source of selenium and a good source of magnesium and thiamine. There are 14% protein, 11% carbohydrates, and 67% fat (1). The fat breakdown is roughly 25% saturated, 41% monounsaturated, and 34% polyunsaturated. The absolute saturated fat content of Brazil nuts is among the highest of all nuts, surpassing even macadamia nuts.
The proteins found in Brazil nuts are very high in sulfur-containing amino acids like cysteine (8%) and methionine (18%) and are also extremely rich in glutamine, glutamic acid, and arginine. The presence of these amino acids enhances the absorption of selenium and other minerals in the nut.
As with most nuts, the Brazil nut is rich in oils, variously reported at 65-70% of seed dry weight. Brazil nut oil is clear yellowish oil, which has a pleasant and sweet smell and taste.
Its texture and aroma gives it great versatility for use in a wide array of innovative personal care products. Brazil Nut Oil’s high selenium content offers strong antioxidant properties. When used in personal care products, Brazil Oil hydrates and softens the skin.
Today, Brazil nut oil is used in soaps, shampoos and hair conditioning/repair products. As a hair conditioner it brings shine, silkiness, malleability and softness to hair. It helps renew dry, lifeless hair and split-ends and allows hair to remain soft and silky. It provides stabilising detergent properties and helps clean the hair.
Parameters | Limits | Test methods |
Acid Value | < 5% Oleic Acid | AOCS Ca 5a-40 |
Peroxide Value | < 10 mEq/Kg | NF EN ISO27107 |
Saponification value | 190-200 | AOCS Cd 1-85 |
Insoluble Impurities | < 0.001% | AOCS Ca 3a-46 |
Alpha Linolenic Acid | < 0.5% | AOCS Ce 1e-91 |
Linoleic Acid | 40-50% | AOCS Ce 1e-91 |
Oleic Acid | 25-35% | AOCS Ce 1e-91 |
Palmitic Acid | 10-16% | AOCS Ce 1e-91 |
- Nutritive oil – Very good source of vitamin-E with about 7.87 mg per 100 g (52% of RDA).
- Antioxidant – Brazil nuts hold exceptionally high levels of selenium. 100 g nuts provide about 1917 µg or 3485% recommended daily intake of selenium, rating them as the highest natural source of this mineral.
- Emollient
- Hair care: shampoos and hair conditioning/repair products.
- Skin care: nourishing and softening
Product description | Product specification | MSDS |
(1) FAO (1993) – “Selected species and strategies to enhance income generation from Amazonian Forest”
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So, we can conclude that the oil content in the prickly seed will be between 5 to 10% according to the cultivar used for the extraction. And finally, we can say that to get 1 kg of oil, between 300 and 500kg of fresh fruits will be needed.
The oil processed from the seeds is characterized by a high degree of unsaturation wherein linoleic acid is the major fatty acid (56.1–77%). Oleic (C18:1) and linoleic (C18:2) acids can count for more than 80% [8] of the total fatty acids.
The sterol fraction is usually about 1% of TL withβ-sitosterol as sterol marker, representing 72% of the total sterol content in seed oil.