Project for the utilization of Amazonian nuts produces high-value oils and essences
With support from Fapespa, the initiative combines technological innovation and the enhancement of the forest's natural resources
To obtain sustainable products from nuts in the Amazon region, a group of researchers from various regions of the country gathered around the project: "Integral utilization of cupuaçu, Brazil nut, and pracaxi nuts: production of oils for food use and high value-added sustainable products."
The research is supported by the Amazon Foundation for Research and Studies (Fapespa), a reference in projects that focus on Amazonian biodiversity. The research team has been working on the production of residual cakes (biomasses) from the three matrices. The aim is to generate extracts rich in bioactive compounds.
The extracts undergo a microencapsulation process in a spray-drier, a technique that helps preserve their properties. They are then sent for analysis in a laboratory in Rio de Janeiro (RJ). At this stage, researchers evaluate the chemical composition of the extracts and conduct (in vitro) tests to verify biological activities, such as anti-inflammatory action, antioxidant properties, and possible toxicity levels, among others.
The study involves renowned institutions
The complete project team is coordinated by Dr. Otniel Freitas Silva from Embrapa – Food Agroindustry (Rio de Janeiro), who has an extensive network of contributors, such as Dr. Anderson Junger Teodoro from the Federal University of Fluminense (UFF) and the Graduate Program in Food and Nutrition (UNIRIO); and researchers from Embrapa Food Agroindustry (RJ), Andréa Madalena Maciel Guedes, Antonio Gomes Soares, and Renata Galhardo Borguini.
Also participating in the project, supported by Fapespa, is Dr. Valéria Saldanha Bezerra from Amapá, as the lead researcher, along with professors Dr. Heloísa Helena Berredo (UFPA) and Renan Chisté (UFPA/UFMG).
In Pará
The research leader in Pará, Professor Dr. Fagner Aguiar from the Federal Rural University of the Amazon (UFRA), states that "this support is fundamentally necessary for generating scientific knowledge, so that research institutes can generate and transfer this knowledge to communities for a better living and well-being of these."
"In addition to providing the academy with great curricular opportunities for students who carry out the activities, encouraged by research scholarships. Today, in the Pará team, we have five Scientific Initiation scholarship holders in progress, and one completed post-doctorate in the project," he explains.
With formal support from associations and cooperatives working with Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFP), the project focuses its research and material collection in regions of Pará and Amapá.
Integral utilization of Amazonian nuts
Researcher Fagner Aguiar explains that "the utilization of residual lignocellulosic biomasses is a significant challenge for both large and small industrial scales, and it can be enhanced for greater valuation alongside small producers and traditional communities in the region. This way, it will add even more value to the productive chains of pracaxi, cupuaçu, and Brazil nuts."
In Amapá, the Mixed Cooperative of Extractivist Producers of the Iratapuru River (Comaru) is located in the São Francisco do Iratapuru Community, on the banks of the Iratapuru River, in the municipality of Laranjal do Jari. It was created to organize the sale of products and increase bargaining power with customers.
Local producers have been working for over five decades with the collection of Brazil nuts in the area, which is now the Iratapuru River Development Reserve (RDSI). Another partnership is with the Association of Extractivist Women of Limão do Curuá (Amelc), in the Bailique district, where pracaxi oil is collected and produced artisanally. About 1,500 liters are produced per harvest, used in the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries.
Community associations also participate in the research
In Pará, the Association of Small Extractivist Rural Producers and Fishermen of the Ipanema River (APREPRI), from the municipality of Curralinho, on Marajó Island, works with pracaxi and cupuaçu. The Agricultural Cooperative of Tomé-Açu (Camta) is located in the municipality of Tomé Açu. These community organizations participate in all stages of the proposal's execution, as well as collaborating with the supply of raw materials (nuts, oil, and cake) and with the physical facilities for the development of the project.
Partnerships between Embrapa units, universities, associations, and cooperatives will be formalized through a technical cooperation contract, which will establish the commitment between the involved institutions and lay the foundations for the joint development of the project and actions benefiting the sector in the Amazon region.
Recognition in scientific publications
The advances in the project's research have received national and international recognition. Partial results of the study have been published in important scientific initiation events such as: the 29th Brazilian Congress on Food Science and Technology in Florianópolis-SC (2024), the 3rd International Congress on Bioactive Compounds in Campinas-SP (2024), and the 7th Symposium on Medicinal Chemistry of the University Moinho, Portugal (2025).
In 2025, the research continues with promising results, such as the obtaining of microencapsulated phenolic extracts, applied in edible films to increase the shelf life of fruits, which can be applied to açaí for better conservation of the fruit in the post-harvest period, a critical handling phase for farmers in the Amazon region. Additionally, the team established in Pará obtained results regarding the antimicrobial and biological activities of these compounds, focusing on their use for diabetes prevention.
This year, the expectation is to carry out a scale-up on the fermentation process of the biomasses to obtain higher yields in bioactive compounds. In other words, the future focus is on scaling up the process, aiming to move from the laboratory experimental phase to commercial and industrial production levels, adapting and validating the process so that it works at larger levels and quantities.
This is a fundamental transition for the research, where scientific discovery is transformed into products or technologies that can be marketed. These initiatives reinforce the potential of the Amazonian bioeconomy, combining technological innovation, sustainability, and the enhancement of the forest's natural resources.
