Babasso oil

Babasso oil is a light yellow tropical oil. It is obtained by pressing and / or by extraction with solvents from the seeds of the babassu palm ( Attalea speciosa Mart., Also called Orbignya Oleifera ), a native of Amazonia.

The oil content of the almond (seed enclosed in the fleshy fruit) varies from 63 to 70%.

Since it is a non-drying fixed oil, that is that it does not evaporate and does not harden on contact with air, babasso oil is widely used in cosmetology. Moreover, similar to cocoa butter, babasso seed oil tends to be solid at room temperature, so it can be applied to the skin like a semi-solid butter that melts on contact with the skin, giving a refreshing sensation. In cosmetology, babasso oil is used as an emollient, lubricant and protective.

Babasso oil also finds important food applications. From a nutritional point of view, like all tropical oils, it has high concentrations of saturated fatty acids; after all, it is the high content of lauric acid and myristic to make it semi-solid at room temperature.

The accidic profile of babasso oil is similar to that of coconut oil, so it has an abundance of medium chain fatty acids. The main feature is the very high percentage of lauric acid.