Abstract
The purpose of the current study was to investigate the chemical composition and the oil properties of the seeds of Moringa oleifera from a cultivated origin of Tunisia. Expressed on dry weight basis, the seeds exhibited a moisture content of 7.78 ± 0.62%, whereas contents of proteins, fiber, ash, fat, and total sugars were 33.39 ± 3.16%, 3.9 ± 0.32%, 3.1 ± 0.02%, 41.7 ± 3.71%, and 10.13 ± 2.32% respectively. Oleic acid was the main fatty acid (C18:1) (73.36 ± 0.22%). The determination of total phenolic content exhibited 102 ± 2.41 mg gallic acid equivalents per kg. HPLC analysis confirmed the presence of four phenolic acids (gallic, caffeic, vanillic, ferrulic) with a predominance of ferulic acid coupled with two flavonoids (Apigenin and Naringenin). The seed oil was also found to contain high rates of tocopherols with a predominance of the α-tocopherol (51%). The sterol marker β-Sitosterol, accounted for 47.24% of the total sterol content. The different seed oil analyses proved that M. oleifera seed oil could potentially be utilised for different industrial, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical applications.
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