ISSN: 2474-8846
Authors: Ibrahim AMA* and Yassin KET
It is remarkable to notice that Baobab seeds are normally discarded in Sudan, without knowing the great wealth hidden. The present study was conducted to determine physicochemical properties of Baobab (Ophelussitularis) seeds oil and select proper solvent for oil extraction from seeds which contain approximately 22-45%, used n-hexane and ethanol as solvents, leaching was done by solid extraction method. Physicochemical properties of the Baobab seeds oil were evaluated by standard and established methods. Oils and solvents were separated using rotary evaporator, recovery solvent were 91.2% and 75% for n-hexane and ethanol respectively. The obtained Baobab oils color were golden yellow (reddish yellow) not effected by type of solvent, it showed resistance to change in color, results showed the maximum Baobab oil yields were 16% and 13.5 % for n-hexane and ethanol respectively. Crude protein CP was found to be13.475 g/100 g, oil content was 13.26 g/, Saponification value SV 338.4925 g and 406.725 g/100 g for Baobab oil extracted with n-hexane and ethanol respectively. Results were obtained for ash content, crude fiber, acid value, FFA and rheological properties. Physicochemical properties indicated that n-hexane was more suitable to extract Baobab oil more than ethanol and recover easy. The difference was clearly visible in PV, AV and μ, while n-hexane yields pure oil more than ethanol. All those results detected that seeds of Baobab are beneficial if they extracted using n-hexane. It is recommended to conduct additional research on this issue and insert other solvents to select the best solvent and study the effect of different solvents on the properties of resulting oil.
Keywords: Baobab; Baobab Oil; Physicochemical; Seeds Oil
