PREFACE

Euclides da Cunha defined Amazonia as “the biggest stage ever set by nature where man arrived too soon”. Perhaps the Amazonians are victims of their own anticipation and greatness. It would be redundant to mention how immense the Amazonian challenges are, the valorization of its products and consequently its biomass is one of them.

THE CHALLENGE

Ricardo Borges, in 1941, prefacing the work of Celestino Pesce *, “Oleaginous of the Amazon”, quotes Paul Le Coint **: “The methodical exploration of the plants would be enough to give back to the country the prosperity it had known in the golden age of rubber”. At that time, Borges already extolled the Instituto Agronômico do Norte (Agronomic Institute of the North), which, according to him, with research would end the miserable condition of exporters of raw materials at minimal prices, allowing the production of refined oils and fine chemicals, in addition to a breeding stock of species for genetic improvement. From then until today we ask, what benefits for the oils and fats industry did that Institute, now extinct, and other research centers give us?

Today there are refineries and genetic improvement for the palm and soybean cultures, complete industrialization plants, imported projects in part or as a whole. And for the Amazonian crops?

An example to be followed in Brazil is that of Petrobras, which generated technology and knowledge, discovered the pre-salt and received 10 billion dollars from China even before starting large-scale production. We do not commensurate with how many “pre-salt oleagins” we are failing to take advantage of or destroying in the Amazon before even knowing them.

* Celestino Pesce (1869-1942), Italian industrial chemist, acquired in 1913 the Fábrica Industrial Cametaense, and published in 1941 the book Oleaginous of the Amazon” that presents an extensive list with the oil characteristics of more than 100 Amazonian species.

** Paul Le Cointe (1870 – ?) French naturalist, was the first director of the “School of Industrial Chemistry” in Pará, created in 1920.

THE OLEAGINOUS INDUSTRIES – A BRIEF HISTORY

It is acceptable that there are two moments in the history of Amazon oilseeds in the last three decades: before Brasmazon and after Brasmazon *. Before Brasmazon the market was informal and marginal, with production done in an artisanal way, without technical criteria, mostly mixed with all kinds of adulterants, from soy oil to diesel oil, as in the case of copaíba, and sold in open markets.

With Brasmazon the market began to realize the importance of quality and continuity in the supply of Amazonian oils. Before, the market could not even get 10 tons of andiroba oil at once. When the market demanded a considerable quantity, the price would skyrocket and the client would give up, due to the price and the lack of product standard. After Brasmazon, cosmetic lines based on Amazonian products began to appear. This way, Brazil began to talk about products such as andiroba, copaiba, Brazil nut, which was considered an initial milestone for the use of these products, mainly because they come from the largest tropical forest in the world, where the ignorance of its biodiversity is still a reality.