Proximate Analysis, Physicochemical Properties and Chemical Constituents Characterization of Moringa Oleifera (Moringaceae) Seed Oil Using GC-MS Analysis

The fixed oil from M. Oleifera seed oil was analyzed by a combination of GC and GCMS. Twenty four (24) constituents amounting to 96.81% of the total oil were identified. The major constituents were Oleic acid (22.51%), Palmitic acid (10.64%), 9-octadecenol (12.76%) and phenylbut-3-yne (5.79%). The fixed oil of M. Oleifera seed is rich in fatty acids (44.93%) followed by hydrocarbons (32.95%), others are aldehyde (12.76%) esters (3.55%) and oxygenated hydrocarbon (2.62%). The oil was found to contain moderate level of unsaturated fatty acids, mainly Oleic acid (22.51%) and Erucic acid (1.98%). The dominant saturated acids were Palmitic (10.64%), Stearic acid (6.07%), Arachidic acid (2.21%) and Docosanoic (Behenic acid) (1.03%). The physio-chemical analyses and proximate composition of the n-hexane extract of M. Oleifera seed oil were also determined using standard analytical methods. Results showed that the specific gravity and refractive index were 0.9050 & 1.456. The recorded acid value, iodine value, Saponification number, free fatty acids and peroxide values were in the order 6.73mgKOHg-1, 68.65g100g-1, 180.92mgKOHg-1, 4.21mgKOHg-1, 2.60 meqKg-1. The percentage yield of the oil was 38.0% and the color of the oil was cream yellow. The following fatty acids were identified from the GCMS analysis. Myristic acid, Oleic acid, Palmitic acid, Stearic acid, Erucic acid, Arachidic acid and Docosanoic acid (Behenic acid). The result of the proximate composition showed that the seed contain 10.50% moisture, 39.57% crude protein, 5.00% ash, 5.00% crude fiber, 32.50% fat and 7.44% carbohydrate. The seed oil of M. Oleifera showed good physio-chemical properties and could be utilized successfully as a source of edible oil for human consumption and for industrial applications.