Murumuru palm (Astrocaryum murumuru) is a spiny palm species native to the floodplain forests of the Amazon basin in Brazil. It produces clusters of small fruits containing hard seeds that are rich in fatty acids. The fat extracted from these seeds — murumuru butter — is a solid, white fat with properties similar to cocoa butter.
The palm is an important part of traditional Amazonian food systems, where the fruit pulp and seed fat have long been consumed by local communities. In the global market, murumuru butter is primarily known as a cosmetic ingredient, used in hair and skin care products for its moisturising properties. Its food applications include use as a specialty fat in confectionery and as a cocoa butter alternative.
Murumuru palm grows wild across the Amazon and is increasingly managed as a non-timber forest product, providing income to local communities while maintaining forest cover.
How it's produced
Murumuru palm seeds are predominantly harvested from wild or semi-managed trees in the Brazilian Amazon. The palms grow naturally in dense stands along riverbanks and in seasonally flooded forests. Local collectors gather the fallen fruits, remove the outer pulp, and extract the hard seeds.
The seeds are dried and cracked to access the oil-rich kernel inside, which is then cold-pressed or solvent-extracted to produce murumuru butter. Some community-based cooperatives manage wild palm stands to improve productivity without converting forest land. Commercial-scale cultivation is limited, as the palms grow slowly and are adapted to specific floodplain conditions. The supply chain is largely based on extractive harvesting from native forests, which can support conservation goals when managed sustainably.
What it costs the planet (per kilo)
≈ Estimated from its category — typical for vegetable oils, not measured for this item yet. Sources & methods →
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