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"Prague" for some, babassu is the raw material for extracting babassu coconut oil, which has many benefits

Marcelo Cavallari, Hermaphrodite Infructescence, CC BY-SA 4.0

Babassu oil is extracted from the babassu coconut, one of the most important representatives of Brazilian palm trees, very common in the state of Maranhão and in a large part of the Amazon rainforest (Pará, Amazonas, Rondônia, Acre and Bolivia). Babassu grows in a large tree - which can reach up to 20 meters in height - and is very resistant, and can even withstand fires and attacks from predators. Babassu regrowth vigorously in enormous quantities after the forest is burned and cleared for agricultural purposes. This peculiarity leads many to regard babassu as a "pest", as it is easily installed and difficult to exterminate, which discourages the establishment of other cultures.

Each babassu coconut palm can have up to six bunches, and they are where fruiting takes place. The fruits appear from August to January and have an elongated oval shape, brown in color. Within each fruit can be found three to five almonds. These are the product extracted from the babassu fruit, the coconut, which has a higher commercial value. It is practically the only livelihood in the Maranhão region, where the extraction of almonds involves the work of many families.

These almonds are manually extracted by women who are called “breakers”, in a simple homemade system. It is from almonds that babassu coconut oil is obtained. The rinds of the fruit are also used in the manufacture of baskets, sieves, windows and in the roofing of houses in the region. Industrially the husks are used to make biofuel and coal.

Types of babassu coconut oil

Two types of babassu coconut oil can be obtained: one for edible purposes and the other for industrial purposes, with a high content of lauric acid. The extraction can be done by pressing or by solvents, being the first most used when the oil is for therapeutic purposes; and the second to obtain greater yield. However, it may contain solvent residues and is not suitable for uses related to aromatherapy. Babassu coconut oil has in its composition a large amount of fatty acid, lauric acid (which is present in 50% of the oil) and oleic, myristic and caprylic acids, which provide beneficial properties. At room temperature, it has a pasty consistency and must be heated in a water bath to become liquid.

applications

Babassu coconut oil is similar to palm oil - both are considered lauric oils because of the high content of this acid. Therefore, it is a very stable oil at high temperatures and can be used in cooking and frying food (very common in the manufacture of margarine). It has a slight almond taste.

It has analgesic, antiviral properties and helps the immune system. A study carried out by the Philippine Foundation for Coconut Research and Development concluded that the addition of coconut oil in the diet of patients with the HIV virus can have the benefit of reducing the level of viral load in HIV-positive individuals. However, babassu oil contains saturated fat, so it should not be ingested in excess, as it can cause health problems.

Of all vegetable oils for industrial use, babassu coconut oil has the highest saponification index - the higher this index, the more appropriate the oil for soap making, and it also has a low iodine and refraction value, qualifying it for the preparation of creamy ointments. Thus, babassu coconut oil has wide application in cosmetics.

It can be applied directly to the skin, neat or mixed with other vegetable oils. The presence of large amounts of lauric acid makes the oil an excellent anti-inflammatory, helping to treat acne and being much more powerful than industrialized products. In addition to being a natural alternative free of any chemicals that could be harmful to human health and skin, it does not cause peeling. Therefore, babassu coconut oil is a great natural choice. But remember to check that the oil is 100% natural before using it. You can find babassu coconut oil at eCycle store.