The Babassu nut (Orbignya phalerata Mart.) mesocarp is traditionally
transformed to flour and consumed in some Brazilian areas for its attributed
medicinal activity; however, its chemical properties remain to be elucidated.
The present work aimed at analyzing the babassu mesocarp phytochemical
constituents. Babassu nut samples were collected in the Brazilian Amazon,
and their mesocarps were prepared and macerated in different solvents. The
chromatographic fractionation of selected methanol extracts yielded three
fractions, A-5, A-6, and B - 1 that were characterized with high resolution
methods. Fraction A-5 was characterized through GC/MS as a fatty acid
mixture with predominance of eicosanoic (38.67 %) and 11-octadecanoic
(21.71 %) acids. Fraction A-6 was characterized by the presence of three
phytosteroids (32.02 %), sesquiterpene (nerolidol; 24.89 %), and diterpene
(17-acetoxy-19-kauranal; 15.17 %). The 1H and 13C NMR spectra on fraction
A-6 showed characteristic chemical shifts for its compounds. Compound B-1
was identified as ergostanol-3-benzoate based on NMR experiments in one and
two dimensions. These results constitute the first identification of babassu
mesocarp chemical constituents in 1 and 2-dimensions, paving the way to
understanding its role in popular medicine
