– Etymology:
– Tucumã derives from tukumã in the Tupi language.
– Taxonomy:
– Astrocaryum aculeatum was first described by German botanist Georg Friedrich Wilhelm Meyer in 1818.
– Description based on a specimen from the Essequibo River in Guyana.
– Distribution:
– Astrocaryum aculeatum is found in and around the Amazon Basin.
– Found from Trinidad and Tobago in the north to the Bolivian departments of Beni, Pando, Santa Cruz in the south.
– Uses:
– Edible fruit used for making wine.
– Used to make symbolic tucum rings.
– Fiber extracted from leaves for making hammocks and ropes.
– Oil:
– Tucuma fruit contains two types of oils: external pulp oil and almond oil.
– Pulp oil has 25.6% saturated and 74.4% unsaturated fatty acids.
– Rich in beta-carotene (180-330 mg/100g oil).
– Fatty acid composition: Palmitic (27.7%), Oleic (65.67%), Linoleic (3.65%), Linolenic (4.97%).
– Cosmetic industry:
– Tucuma pulp oil potential for soap, body lotions, and hair care products.
– Physico-chemical data: Free fatty acids (1.4562), Refractive Index (1.4562), Saponification value (188.4 mg KOH/g).
– Other values: Index of Iodine, Materia unsaponifiable, Acidity, Index of Peroxide, Density, Melting.