| Macauba fruits are oil-rich drupes with high moisture content at harvest. This feature can affect the chemical properties of the oil and increase the costs of biodiesel production. Therefore, it is necessary to adopt postharvest strategies to ensure oil quality. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of drying macauba fruit on the quality of the pulp oil. Husked and dehusked fruits were dried at 60°C and then stored. At 0, 15, 45, 100, and 180 days after storage, fruit samples were retrieved, and the oil from the pulp was evaluated for physicochemical parameters. The removal of the husk from the fruits considerably reduced the drying time compared to that of the husked fruits. Drying prevented deterioration of the fruit even after 180 days of... |
