Influence of the extraction process on the chemical composition and oxidation state of baobab (Adansonia digitata L.) seed oil

Abstract

Baobab oil is nowadays highly prized by local populations as well as the cosmetic industry. It is a rare oil due to the low oil content of the seeds of the baobab fruit (Adansonia digitata L.). To obtain this oil, the collected seeds were cleaned and ground into powder. Then, the extraction was done by pressing and solvent. The aim of this study is to assess the impact of the extraction method on the composition of baobab oil. According to the results obtained, the solvent extraction process has an influence on the fatty acid composition, especially for oleic (36.42 vs 37.40) % and linoleic (26.85 vs 25.21) % acids. We note a significant difference in the total sterol in favor of the solvent extraction process (370.02 mg.100.g-1 for the oil obtained by pressing against 458.14 mg.100.g-1 for the oil obtained by solvent). Solvent extraction drastically reduces total tocopherols from 1562.4 mg.kg-1 to 547.6 mg.kg-1. The chlorophyll content decreases slightly. However, the carotenoid content increases slightly with solvent extraction. According to the results obtained, the soxhlet solvent extraction process has an effect on the chemical composition of the oil. The heat contributes to the oxidation of the oil and the reduction of sensitive elements such as tocopherols.