Varietal Differences in the Oil Composition of the Seed of Two Indigenous Chrysophyllum albidium Species

Aim: To investigate the varietal difference in the composition of the oil of two Chryosophyllum albidium species.

Study Design: Laboratory experimental design was used.

Place and Duration of Study: Chryosophyllum acreanum and Chrysophyllum africana seed species of Chrysophyllum albidium were collected from Oja Oba market, Ibadan, Oyo State. The study was carried out between February 2019 - August 2019 at the Oilseed Laboratory of Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi, Lagos State, Nigeria.

Methodology: Oil in both seeds was extracted using Soxhlet extraction method. The physical and chemical properties of the oils were determined using official methods of analysis while the fatty acid composition of the seed oils was analysed using Gas Chromatography- Mass Spectrophotometer.

Results: The oil yield for both seeds was low, 3.52% for C. acreanum and 3.75% for C. africana. The values for the physical properties (Specific gravity, refractive index and unsaponifiable matter) of C. acreanum seed oil were higher than for C. africana seed oil. The chemical properties shows that the acid and peroxide values are 2.79mgKOH/g; 2.67mgKOH/g, 1.78mEq/kg; 1.63mEq/kg for C. acreanum and C. africana seed oil respectively while the iodine values for both seed oils are below 100mgI2/100g. The fatty acid composition shows that both seed oil contains myristic acid as their major fatty acid.

Conclusion: The evaluated characteristics of the seed oils showed that there is no significant differences in the oil composition of C. albidium seed varieties as the oil composition are closely related except for the slight difference in their fatty acid profile.