The physiochemical properties and fatty acid profile of oil extracted from Irvingia gabonensis seeds

摘要

The physiochemical and fatty cid profile of the oil extracted from Irvingia gabonensis was determined. Soxhlet extraction method using n-hexane as solvent was employed for the extraction. The extraction process yielded 65% of oil. The physiochemical determination was done using standard method while fatty acid profile was done using Gas Chromatographic technique. The result of the study is as follows: Relative density (0.82), pH (6.19), Saponification value (182.3 mgKOH~(-1)), Iodine value (4.17/100 g Fat), Peroxide value (3.02 mgEqKg~(-1)). The fatty acid profile of the oil revealed the presence of six fatty acid fractions viz: C14:O(51.85%), C12:O(35.12%), C16:7.95%), C10:O(1.01%), C18:0(0.62%) and C18:1(2.99%).The overall result revealed that the oil is highly unsaturated and thus should not be consumed in high quantity by cardiovascular patients.