Comparative study of thermal behavior of mango kernel fat from seven Ivorian varieties related to their chemical composition

In the present study, the fatty acid composition (FAC), triacylglycerol (TAG) composition, crystallization, and melting behaviors of mango kernel fats (MKFs) extracted from seven Ivorian mango varieties—Amelie (AM), Kent (KT), Palmer (PR), Keitt (KI), Brooks (BR), Dadiani (DI), and Djakoumankoun (DN)—were characterized by complementary techniques: pNMR, DSC, polarized light microscopy, and X-ray diffraction. Regardless of the variety, Ivorian MKF is rich in stearic (St) and oleic (O) fatty acids. (72–84% of the total FA), with three main TAGs: StOSt (23.9–45.8%), StOO (15.5–25.8%), and StLSt (10.4–12.5%). Their crystallization onset temperature (Tco) ranged from 15 to 20 °C. All samples showed complete melting around 35 °C, except DN (~ 38 °C). The β-polymorph appeared to be the most predominant and stable polymorph for the seven MKFs. The thermal properties investigated were linked to monounsaturated and triunsaturated triacylglycerol content, indicating the significant influence of chemical composition. The fine analysis of the results allows the seven Ivorian varieties to be divided into four groups, based on both their physical properties and thermal behavior, and the StOSt wealth: hard high-StOSt fat (DN), half-hard medium-StOSt fat (DI, BR), soft low-StOSt fat (KT, PR, KI), and very-soft very-low-StOSt fat (AM). The seven investigated mango varieties from Ivory Coast might offer a wide range of applications in food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries.