POTENCIAL DAS SEMENTES DE QUIABO PARA PRODUÇÃO DE ÓLEO VEGETAL

Abstract

Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L. Moench) is a short-cycle, high-yield crop, widely marketed fresh at the beginning of maturation and considered economically viable, especially for small producers, due to the valuable properties present in its fruits and seeds. In this context, the present study aimed to extract oil from okra seeds, identify the maturation stage with the highest oil content, determine the average number of seeds per fruit, and evaluate the physicochemical and energetic properties of the obtained oils. The seeds were separated, oven-dried, and used for extraction assays. The seed yield obtained manually ranged from 9% to 21%, while after oven drying it varied between 2% and 15%. It was estimated that each fruit contains an average of 66 seeds, with 100 seeds weighing 6.2 g. The moisture content varied according to the maturation stage, with values of 78.57% for green seeds, 85.09% for mature seeds, and 8.33% for dried seeds. Chemical extraction revealed oil contents ranging from 7.6% to 19.1%, while mechanical pressing, carried out with seeds of higher oil content, showed a yield of 7.6%. The extracted oils presented acidity indices of 1.58 mg NaOH/g (Soxhlet) and 2.40 mg NaOH/g (press), and peroxide indices of 5.6 meq/kg and 8.4 meq/kg, respectively. The higher heating value (HHV) obtained was 21.9425 kJ/g for the seeds, 41.5530 kJ/g for the oil extracted by pressing, 39.5595 kJ/g for the oil obtained by Soxhlet, and 20.3665 kJ/g for the residual cake. The flow curve indicated a Newtonian fluid behavior. Overall, the results highlight the potential of okra seeds as a source of oil and energy, suggesting promising prospects for future studies on commercial viability and economic applications.