EXTRACTION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF WHITE MUCUNA PRURIENS VAR. UTILIS SEED OIL

TABLE OF CONTENT

CONTENT PAGE

TITLE PAGE i

CERTIFICATION ii

DEDICATION iii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT iv

ABSTRACT v

TABLE OF CONTENTS vi

CHAPTER ONE

1.0 PREAMBLE 1

1.1 INTRODUCTION 1

1.2 OBJECTIVE OF STUDY 2

1.3 SCOPE OF WORK 2

CHAPTER TWO

2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW 3

2.1 FATS AND OILS 3

2.2.0 COMPONENTS OF MUCUNA SEEDS 4

2.2.1 NUTRITIONAL PROPERTIES 4

2.2.2 ANTINUTRITIONAL PROPERTIES 5

2.2.3 PHARMACEUTICAL PROPERTIES 7

2.3.0 PLANT FATTY ACIDS AND OIL 7

2.4.1 RENDERING 9

2.4.2 PRESSING OR EXPELLING 9

2.4.3 SOLVENT METHOD 9

2.4.4. SUPERCRITICAL METHOD 9

2.4.5 ENZYME METHOD 10

2.5.0 REACTIONS OF FATS AND OILS 10

2.5.1 RANCIDIFICATION 10

2.5.2HYDROGENATION 10

2.6.0 PROPERTIES OF LIPIDS 11

2.6.1 CHEMICAL INDICES 11

2.6.2 PHYSICAL INDICES 11

2.7.0 USES OF FATS AND OIL 12

2.7.1 FOOD INDUSTRY 12

2.7.2 FATS IN SOAP AND DETERGENT INDUSTRY 13

2.7.3 FATS IN THE COATING INDUSTRY 13

2.7.4 FATS IN THE COSMETIC INDUSTRY 14

2.7.5 FATS IN PHARMACEUTICAL INDSUTRY 14

CHAPTER THREE

3.0 MATERIALS AND METHODS 15

3.1 SOURCING OF SAMPLES 15

3.2 PREPARATION OF SAMPLES 15

3.3 OIL EXTRACTION 15

3.3.1 DETERMINATION OF PERCENTAGE OIL YIELD 15

3.4 DETERMINATION OF PERCENTAGE MOISTURE 16

3.5.0 OIL ANALYSIS 16

3.5.1 DETERMINATION OF RELATIVE DENSITY 16

3.5.2 DETERMINATION OF MELTING TEMPERATURE 16

3.5.3 DETERMINATION OF IODINE VALUE 17

3.5.4 DETERMINATION OF PEROXIDE VALUE 17

3.5.5. DETERMINATION OF PH OF THE OIL 18

3.5.6 DETERMINATION OF ACID VALUE 18

3.5.7 DETERMINATION OF SAPONIFICATION VALUE 18

3.5.8 FATTY ACID COMPOSITION USING TLC 19

3.5.9 FATTY ACID PROFILE OF THE OIL USING GLC 19

CHAPTER FOUR

4.0 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 20

4.1 RESULTS 20

4.2 DISCUSSION 22

4.3 CONCLUSION 23

REFERENCE 24

APPENDIX I 26

APPENDIX II 29

CHAPTER ONE

1.0 PREAMBLE

1.1 INTRODUCTION

In our world today, the geometric increase of the population has raised alarming concerns on the food security to sustain the teeming population Sridhar, 2007. The worse hit is developing countries in Africa, especially Nigeria that still lacks the capacity to manage food production tasks arising from the current global warming and other environmental changes. The few food products usually lack adequate proteins, essential fatty acids and vitamins leading to the common form of malnutrition in individuals.

Interestingly, unconventional legumes are promising in terms of nutrition, provisions of food security, agricultural development and in crop rotation in developing countries Sridhar, 2007. The wild legume varieties have different quantities of protein, carbohydrates, fiber, lipid/fatty acids and minerals.

Mucuna pruriens var.utilis is a tropical legume of the family Fabaceae and genus Mucuna. Some of its common names are Agbara Igbo, Yerepe Yoruba, Mauritius bean, cow itch, cow hage, Jackbohne German. Velvet bean is an annual perennial, herbaceous, vigorous climbing vine that growso 318cm in height. It is indigenous of the tropical regions especially Africa, India and the West Indies. Its pods are sigmoid, turgid, longitudinally ribbed and always clustered on the stem and the pods are covered with reddishorange hairs that dislodge readily causing intense irritation on the skin. The pods contain seeds that are black or white Siddhuraju, 2000; Leslie, 2005; Sridhar, 2007.

The oil contents of Mucuna seed may be edible and consist of different fatty acid which is a characteristic identify of most oil seeds. The chemical composition of an oil extract gives a qualitative identification of such oil in selection of areas while it can be applied or utilized despite differences in processing and extraction of the oil Ofoegbu, 2006.

The aim of this work thus is to extract the oil from the white seeds of Mucuna pruriens var. utilis, characterize it and determine the applicability, based on the quantities, in industries such beverage, pharmaceutical and/or soap manufacturing.

1.2 OBJECTIVE OF STUDY

This work was inspired by the need to find alternative sources of good oils for human utilization in industries.

1.3 SCOPE OF WORK

This work is intended:

1 To determine the percentage of oil content of white seeds of Mucuna pruriens var.utilis

2 To determine the moisture contents of the seeds used

3 To characterize, by obtaining the physiochemical properties of the oil

4 To suggest possible industry the oil can be utilized based on the results and the information provided in literature on oils.