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Fatty Acids Composition of Adansonia digitata (Baobab) Seed Oil from Tanzania

Sarah Lifa, James T. Zacharia

Abstract

Samples of baobab fruits from which oils were extracted were collected from Sandawi and Chamwino villages in Dodoma region, Tanzania. The oil was extracted from the kernel powders using n-hexane and the extracts were derivatized to fatty acid methyl esters, and then subjected to GC and GC-MS analyses for fatty acids content. The physiochemical properties of the oil indicated that baobab seed oil is suitable for soap-making and other cosmetics. The combined GC and GC-MS results showed the existence of eight fatty acids, namely: palmitic acid (22.02%), palmitoleic acid (1.87%), tariric acid (7.08%), elaidic acid (41.29%), oleic acid (35.72%), linoleic acid, (27.80%), myristic acid (0.19%), and margaric acid (0.30%). The high content of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids (78.04%) compared to saturated fatty acid (22.51%) suggests that baobab seed oil has a good potential to be useful as food oil.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Keywords

Adansonia digitata, oleic acid, elaidic acid, palmitoleic acid, linoleic acid, cosmetics

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References

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