ABSTRACT
Borassus aethiopum (African Palmyra
palm) fruits are underutilized but have currently received a great
attention in the search for alternative food sources to supplement the current
food demands of the increasing world population. Borassus aethiopum
fruits flour and other products have been produced successfully in previous
works. However, the oil yield and characterization of oil from B. aethiopum
kernel had not been evaluated. The main objective of this study therefore,
was to extract and characterize the oil from B. aethiopum kernel. The
fruit nuts were manually cracked with a machete to obtain the kernels. The
kernels were chopped into smaller pieces, dried and milled using the hammer
mill. Oil extraction was carried out using the Soxhlet apparatus with petroleum
ether as the organic solvent. The physicochemical properties, oil yield and four
fatty acids were determined by standard procedures. The results indicated an
oil yield of 1.56%, a peroxide value of 4 9 . 8 5 ± 0.17 meqO2/Kg, iodine value
of 167.00 ±
2.70 mg I2/g, saponification value of 196.69 ± 0.51 mgKOH/g
and FFA of 9.56 ±
0.17%. Also, 6-methyl laurate was the highest among the four
detected fatty acids in B.
aethiopum kernel oil. Based on the yield obtained, commercial
production of B. aethiopum
fruit oil may not be economical.
CHAPTER ONE
1.0 Introduction
Palmyra palm (Borassus aethiopum Mart) grows in desolate
lands inside the vast geographical region from Western Africa to Eastern
Indonesia (Agbo and Simard, 1992). The palmyra tree is very beneficial for the
populace within the axial regions of Côte d'Ivoire. As a source of food (sap, fruits
and immature shoots), over 88 % of the palm tree is utilized for the wellbeing
of the general public in these regions. (Waziri et al., 2010). Majority of the
palm fruits are not exploited and usually left in the field to deteriorate (Ali
et al., 2010). In remote areas, after a period of six (6) to eight (8) weeks of
cultivation, undeveloped shoots of palmyra are obtained and consumed as food
(Kouamé, 1992; Ali et al., 2010). The palm is part of the Arecaceae family in
which the species of socioeconomic significance are Borassus aethiopum Mart
(Madagascar and Africa), Borassus sundaicus Becc (Indonesia), as well as Borassus
flabellifer L. (Asia, India and Sri Lanka) (Agbo and Simard, 1992).
Averagely, three (3) shoots usually develop from a single
palmyra fruit. According to Malumba et al. (2011), „Fallen parts of the fruit
normally reproduce the palmyra palm plant whilst the other portion is collected
by the natives for food usage. African Palmyra palm tree can be useful in value
addition to crops, by employing inventive technologies, including decrease in
losses after harvest, thereby enhancing food security, agricultural
sustainability and good environmental practices (Beddington, 2010). Tubers of
Palmyra serve as valuable source of starch for the indigenes where the plant
thrives. The tubers are cooked before consumption and could serves as
replacement for various sources of starch (Barminas et al., 2008).
Research by Ali et al., (2010)
indicated that flesh of the fruit is a great source of fiber, minerals, sugars,
vitamins A and C. Borassus aethiopum fruits have also been shown to be used for
syrups that improve the sensory properties (taste and colour) of foods (Adzinyo
et al., 2015). Also, it has been established that Borassus aethiopum fruits
could be used in the production of pectin at industrial scale (Assoi et al.,
2014). The fruits have been found to have mineral constituents such as sodium,
potassium, iron and calcium (Niamké et al., 2013; Arthur, 2018).
According to the study of Abe-Inge et al., (2018), „The Borassus
aethiopum fruits have a great potential in flour production for the pastry
industry. Although several research works have been conducted on the Borassus
aethiopum fruits, little has been done on the fruit kernel. Therefore, the aim
of this project was to extract and investigate the quality of Borassus
aethiopum fruit kernel oil.
1.1 Problem Statement
Borassus aethiopum fruits are underutilized (Ali et al., 2010;
Siaw et al., 2014) and characterization of oil from Borassus aethiopum kernels
for food applications have not been evaluated. Also the growing population of
the world demands alternative food sources to supplement the already existing
food commodities in meeting the potential increase in food demand.
1.2 Justification
Value addition to underutilized African Palmyra palm fruits
will gradually reduce postharvest losses, contribute to food security as well
as reduce the over dependence on palm oil from other varieties of palm fruits.
Extraction of African Palmyra palm fruit kernel oils with comparable oil characteristics will serve as an alternative source of oil for domestic and industrial purposes. There is also the possibility of commercially refining it.
1.3 Aim
The aim of this project was to extract and characterize oil
from Borassus aethiopum kernel.
1.3.1 Specific objectives
To determine oil yield from Borassus aethiopum kernel.
To determine the acid value, free fatty acid (FFA) content,
iodine value, saponification value and peroxide value of Borassus aethiopum
kernel oil.
To determine fatty acid composition of Borassus aethiopum
kernel oil.
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