Physiochemical characterization of Bauhinia purpurea seed oil and meal for nutritional exploration.

摘要

The present study deals with characterisation of Bauhinia purpurea seed oil and meal for the quality evaluation. The characteristics of the extracted oil and the seed residue (meal) were determined out for their possible utilizations. The extracted oil was also analysed for iodine value, saponification value, unsaponifiable matter, acid value, peroxide value, refractive index and colour values. Fatty acid composition analysis by gas chromatography has shown that linoleic (55.34%) and oleic (11.84%) acids were the predominant unsaturated fatty acids, while palmitic acid (17.47%) and stearic acid (11.40%) were the major saturated fatty acids. Three tocopherols and six phytosterols were identified and quantified; among these, alpha -tocopherol and beta -sitosterol was predominant, respectively. The physiochemical characteristics has revealed that Bauhinia purpurea oil has nutritive and dietetic potentialities. While proximate analysis of meal has shown that it my be used in the manufacturing of poultry and animal feeds.