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Oils

Pequi Oil

INCI Caryocar Brasiliense Fruit Oil. Also: Piqui oil, Pequi pulp oil, Caryocar brasiliense fruit oil, Caryocar brasiliense pulp oil.

Calculate a 100 % Pequi Oil bar

Published values

Saponification value188.41–200 mg KOH/g
Used by the calculator194.2 mg KOH/g (midpoint)
SAP for NaOH0.1384 g/g
Iodine value48.65–52.03 g I₂/100 g
INS (SAP − IV)144
Melting point—
Unsaponifiable matter—

A bar made of 100 % Pequi Oil

Hardness 43 29–54
Cleansing 0 below 12–22
Conditioning 56 44–69
Bubbly lather 0 below 14–46
Creamy lather 43 16–48

Conventional qualities summed from the fatty-acid groups; a single-oil bar is a reference point, not a recipe.

Fatty-acid profile

Fatty acidPublished range, %Used
Palmitic acid C16:0 · saturated 40.2–43.61 (typical 40.2) 40.2
Palmitoleic acid C16:1 1.4 1.4
Stearic acid C18:0 · saturated 0.66–2.3 (typical 2.3) 2.3
Oleic acid C18:1 53.9–54.55 (typical 53.9) 53.9
Linoleic acid C18:2 0.84–1.5 (typical 1.5) 1.5
α-Linolenic acid C18:3 n-3 0.18–0.7 (typical 0.7) 0.7
Arachidic acid C20:0 · saturated 0.2 0.2

Where these numbers come from

Sociedade Brasileira de Quimica (Quimica Nova), open access via SciELO Brazil — Facioli NL, Goncalves LAG. 'Modificacao por via enzimatica da composicao trigliceridica do oleo de piqui (Caryocar brasiliense Camb).' Quim. Nova 21(1):16-19 (1998). · document dated 1998 · read 2026-09-24

Tabela 1 (fatty acids of the piqui oil used) and the chemical characteristics in the text of Resultados e Discussao.

Sociedade Brasileira de Fruticultura (Revista Brasileira de Fruticultura), open access via SciELO Brazil — Mariano RGB, Couri S, Freitas SP. 'Enzymatic technology to improve oil extraction from Caryocar brasiliense Camb. (pequi) pulp.' Rev. Bras. Frutic. 31(3):637-643 (2009). · document dated 2009-09 · read 2026-09-24

Table 2 (quality indices incl. iodine and saponification values by extraction process) and Table 3 (fatty acids). Table columns re-read from word coordinates.

This is the pulp (mesocarp) oil; pequi kernel oil is a different product and is not covered. Typical values are Facioli & Goncalves 1998 (Quimica Nova 21(1):16-19), Tabela 1, pulp oil made the traditional way (pulp cooked intensively with water, the oil skimmed off, dried and filtered): palmitic 40.2, palmitoleic 1.4, stearic 2.3, oleic 53.9, linoleic 1.5, linolenic 0.7, arachidic 0.2. The same sample: moisture 0.065 %, free fatty acids 0.27 % as oleic, peroxide 1.38 meq/kg, iodine value 50 (printed '50 cg I2/g') and saponification value 200 mg KOH/g. The table's second column is a literature value (their ref. 8: 34.4/2.1/1.8/57.4/2.8/1.0) and is not used. Mariano, Couri & Freitas 2009 (Rev. Bras. Frutic. 31(3):637-643; Couri is Embrapa), fruits from Mato Grosso: Table 3 fatty acids of their pulp oil palmitic 43.61, stearic 0.66, oleic 54.55, linoleic 0.84, linolenic 0.18. Their Table 2 saponification values: aqueous 80 C 180.13, aqueous enzymatic 184.23, petroleum ether 160.15, hydraulic pressing of dried pulp 188.41, enzyme + pressing 189.4, sun-dried pulp pressed 196.32, commercial oils 198.48, literature (Martins 1983) 202; iodine (Wijs) 52.03, 74.80, 51.44, 51.50, 49.13, 48.65, 51.28, 53.5 in the same order. The saponification range here spans the pressed and commercial oils (188.41-198.48) and Facioli's 200. The three laboratory extractions (160.15-184.23) are left out: the authors note they are lower than commercial oils and the literature, and 160.15 is not possible for a C16/C18 oil (this composition implies about 197). The aqueous-enzymatic iodine value of 74.80, which the authors put down to oxidation during the enzyme step, is also left out. Check: Facioli's profile implies about 197 mg KOH/g and about 52 g I2/100 g. At about 40 % palmitic acid the oil is thick and partly solid in a cool room; Mariano et al. describe the oil they extracted as liquid at room temperature, with a strong yellow colour from carotenoids (about 179 mg/100 g).

This record is part of the open ingredient database (ODbL). Found an error or a better primary source? The dataset is on GitHub; corrections with a document link are welcome.