Abstract
Mauritia flexuosa L.f. oil has high added value due to its antioxidant activity. This study evaluated the quality of 50 samples from eight regions of Pará, using analytical and chemometric methods. Total carotenoids, polyphenols, flavonoids, vitamin C, acidity, peroxide, saponification, and fatty acid indices were analyzed. Samples with higher residual load were identified by the Mahalanobis distance. Principal component analysis (PCA) highlighted total carotenoids as the most relevant parameter, identifying three groups with different levels of biological activity (low, medium, and high) and significant cumulative variance. ANOVA did not indicate significant differences between groups regarding fatty acids, but oleic acid was predominant in five regions. Nine samples are suitable for the food sector, while the others can be directed to different applications. The maximum concentrations of carotenoids, polyphenols, flavonoids, and vitamin C were 1899 μg/g, 161.69 GAE/100 g, 125.02 mg EC/100 g, and 24.17 mg/100 g, respectively. This study demonstrated the usefulness of chemometric tools in the quality control of this bioinput, facing the local bioeconomy.