Physicochemical Properties and Fatty Acid Composition of Castor Bean Ricinus communis L. Seed Oil

The oil content of castor seeds depends on the genotype; it is also affected by the environmental conditions, cultural practices and time of harvesting. The oil from castor bean seed obtained from Zaria in Northern Nigeria was extracted using a soxhlet method. The yield of the oil from the Castor beans is 37.8%. The physicochemical properties and fatty acid composition of the seed oil of castor bean were studied. The physicochemical analysis of the oil showed iodine value 93.50 mg/g; saponification value 182.61 mgKOH/g; peroxide value 5.7 meq/kg; acid value 15.57 mgKOH/g; free fatty acid value 7.8 and ester value 165.57 mgKOH/g. The fatty acid profile showed that the ricinoleic acid comprises about 86.96% of the total fatty acid composition. The major saturated fatty acids are palmitic (0.56%) and oleic (5.1%). Other fatty acids present were Octanoic acid 0.29% and pentanoic acid 1.33%. The castor seed oil is rich in ricinoleic acid which shows that the oil is a good source of ricinoleic acid.