Cupuaçu Oil

Cupuaçu Oil (Cupuassu): Nutrition and Information

Cupuaçu oil (sometimes written cupu assu or cupuassu) is extracted from the seeds of Theobroma grandiflorum — a close relative of the cacao tree, native to the Amazon basin of Brazil and cultivated across the Amazon region. The cupuaçu fruit is a prized Amazonian food with a unique tropical flavour; its seed fat is sometimes described as a "white chocolate" fat, though it is chemically distinct from cocoa butter. The oil has a high saturated fat content (53.2 g per 100 g) with a fatty acid profile that includes stearic, arachidic, and oleic acids alongside significant saturated content. Cupuaçu oil has attracted considerable interest in the cosmetics industry as a skin moisturiser and in the confectionery industry as a cocoa butter equivalent. In Brazil, it is used in artisan chocolate production, in regional sweets and desserts, and is beginning to appear in international specialty food markets.

Nutritional Value and Uses

Cupuaçu oil provides 884 kcal and 100 g of fat per 100 g, with 53.2 g of saturated fat. It melts at approximately 30–33°C — close to body temperature — giving it a clean, instant-melt-in-the-mouth quality similar to cocoa butter that makes it valuable in confectionery. Use in artisan chocolate preparations, in truffles and ganaches as a cocoa butter supplement or alternative, and in tropical-influenced confections where its rich, slightly tropical character enhances the overall flavour profile.