English

Abstract

Oils extracted from Blighia sapida fruits are usually consumed without any information on its chemical composition. However the bad quality of oil can be a source of toxicity. Thus, the aim of this study is to investigate the physicochemical quality of the oil extracted from B. sapida from Togolese flora. To reach the goal of the study, mature and immature of B. sapida arils were used for oil extraction by the solvent method using hexane. The physicochemical parameters including density, acid value, saponification value, ester value, iodine value and impurity content were determined according to the French Association for Standardization (AFNOR) standards. The results of the extraction yields were 41.7% (immature arils) and 48.8% (mature arils). The mature arils oil had acid value of (7.013 mg of KOH/g), saponification (195.17 mg of KOH/g), iodine (87 g I2/100 g) and ester (188.157 mg of KOH/g) values were different for those of the immature arils’ which were 30.86 mg of KOH/g (acid value), 191.68 mg of KOH/g (saponification value), 85 g I2/100 g (iodine value) and 160.82 mg of KOH/g (ester value). The densities were 0.916 g/cm3 (mature) and 0.77 g/cm3 (immature) while the impurity content was 3.4% (mature) and 16.1% (immature). The effect of heating the oils resulted in very high values of the physicochemical parameters. The results obtained deduce that this oil meets the Codex Alimentarius standard.   Key words: Blighia sapida oil, physicochemical parameters, extraction, frying, Togo.