Avaliação Estatística e Multivariada da Degradação e Quantificação de Ácidos Graxos em Óleos Vegetais

Abstract

The growing global demand for vegetable oils, driven by both food consumption and the biofuel sector, poses significant challenges regarding the assurance of quality and stability of these products. Lipid oxidation, the main pathway of deterioration, together with the need for accurate characterization of new matrices, requires analytical methodologies that are faster and more sustainable than traditional methods. In this context, the general objective of this work was to develop and apply integrated analytical and statistical approaches for monitoring oxidative stability and for the characterization and authentication of vegetable oils, using rapid and sustainable instrumental techniques. This work is structured into two complementary studies presented in the form of articles. The first study broadens the scope to the characterization and quantification of fatty acids in palm oil, coconut oil, and native Cerrado species (buriti and pequi), employing Proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy (¹H NMR). The second study evaluates the oxidative stability of extra virgin olive oil under prolonged storage, using statistical modeling to monitor the degradation process, identify critical markers, and predict product shelf life. Based on comparisons with gas chromatography, predictive models based on ¹H NMR were developed, showing better agreement with the official method and lower estimation error compared to models previously reported in the literature. The results demonstrate that the integration of chemometrics and instrumental analysis provides effective solutions both for monitoring the shelf life of olive oils and for the accurate authentication of oils derived from Brazilian biodiversity.