Buriti Oil - Mauritia flexuosa

Buriti (moriche) is a palm tree (Mauritia flexuosa), which dominates expansive areas and covers nearly all central Brazil and the southern Amazonian lowland streams. It is an elegant tree that can reach up to 35 meters in height. Forms large leaves with a rounded crown. The flowers are yellowish colored and appear from December to April. It’s fruit-shaped ellipsoidal, chestnut color, and has a surface coated with shiny scales. The yellow flesh covers a hard oval seed, whose almond is edible, and fruiting occurs from December to June. The buriti palm naturally occurs alone or in communities, which require an abundant supply of water in the soil.

For this reason, they dominate in floodplains and swamps where the soil is soft and moist, which is a secure indication of the existence of a watercourse. Where they settled the water carried and spread over the floating seeds. The palm is a dioecious species, plants that form male and female individuals. Only those with female flowers fructify.

Around 60 female and 80 male buriti palms can be found in a hectare. An adult palm can produce up to 200 kg of fruit, which can be processed in 30 kg of flour or finally extracted into 5 to 6 liters of oil (flour contains 22% of oil). Assuming an average of 60 buriti palms per hectare 300 to 360 liters of oil can be achieved. The productive cycle is repeated every two 2 years, but there are communities that manage their natural buriti palm areas by cutting and withdrawing small and dried bunches and weeding of natural competitors and thus have a year with low and the other with high productivity. Complementary studies are needed for soil and climate to know if this management is responsible for the decline of the productive cycle.