Abstract
Studies were conducted on the properties of seeds and oil extracted from Madura pomifera seeds. The following values (on a dry-weight basis) were obtained for M. pomifera seed, respectively: moisture 5.88%, ash 6.72%, oil 32.75% and the high protein content 33.89%. The carbohydrate content (20.76%) can be regarded as a source of energy for animals if included in their diets. The major nutrients (mg/100 g oil) were: potassium (421.65), calcium (218.56) and magnesium (185.00). The physicochemical properties of the oil include: the saponification number 174.57; the iodine value 141.43; the p-anisidine value 1.86; the peroxide value 2.33 meq O-2/kg; the acid value 0.66; the carotenoid content 0.59 mg/100 g oil; the chlorophyll content 0.02 (mg/100 g oil) and the refractive index 1.45. Polymorphic changes were observed in thermal properties of M. pomifera seed oil. This showed absorbency in the UV-B and UV-C ranges with a potential for use as a broad spectrum UV protectant. The main fatty acids of the crude oil were linoleic (76.19%), oleic (13.87%), stearic (6.76%) and palmitic acid (2.40%). The polyunsaturated triacylglycerols (TAGS) LLL, PLL, POL+SLL, OLL, OOL (L: linoleic acid, O: oleic, P: palmitic acid and S: stearic acid) acids were the major TAGS found in M. pomifera seed oil. A relatively high level of sterols making up 852.93 mg/100 g seed oil was present. The sterol marker, beta-sitosterol, accounted for 81% of the total sterol content in the seed oil and is followed by campesterol (7.4%), stigmasterol (4.2%), lupeol (4.1%) and Delta(5)-avenesterol (3.2%). The seed oil was rich in tocopherols with the following composition (mg/100 g): alpha-tocopherol 18.92; gamma-tocopherol 10.80; beta-tocopherol 6.02 and delta-tocopherol 6.29. The results showed that M. pomifera seed oil could be used in cosmetic, pharmaceutical and food products. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.