Otimização do processo de concentração do ácido alfa-linolênico baseado na formação de adutos com ureia: efeito da temperatura e da quantidade de ésteres metílicos

Abstract

The α–linolenic acid has an important function in the body, which is associated with decreased risk of cardiovascular disease. Furthermore, it acts as a precursor of eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which have favorable physiological effects related to the control and prevention of cardiovascular disease, hypertension, depression, inflammatory and autoimmune disorders and neurological disorders. The main sources of ALA are flaxseed oil, canola oil, perilla, chia and fish of marine origin. There are several methods to concentrate the ALA, but the formation of adducts with urea stands out due to low cost and high levels of efficiency. The objective of this study was to optimize the concentration of ALA from linseed oil, through the formation of complexes added with u rea, using a factorial design 2³, with the factors: mass ratio of urea / mass esters fatty acid methyl (A), reaction temperature (B) and weather condition and crystallizatio n temperature (C). The obtained model for the response surface in terms of the coded variables (Y = 76,79 + 2.54 A – 0.60 B + 3.19 C – 3.84 1.27 AC + ABC), showed a correlation coefficient of 0.9850 and highly significant (p <0.0001). The optimum was determined by SIMPLEX, having values of 2 for factor A, 50 ° C to B and condition 2, cooling slower to C. In this condition, the content of ALA was 83,14%, corresponding to a 50,32% increase in the concentration of the acid in relation to their amount in the linseed oil (55,31%). The obtained concentrate ALA allows the incorporation of the n-3 fatty acid in foods, without significantly increasing the lipid content of the food.