Effects of Extraction Process Parameters on the Quality Characteristics of Parinari Polyandra B. Seed Oil

Extraction process parameters can influence the quality of oil obtained from seeds during extraction process. The effect of extraction process parameters on the quality of parinari seed oil, a potential renewable industrial raw material, is yet to be reported. This research was aimed at investigating the effects of some extraction process parameters on some quality characteristics of parinari oil (acid, iodine and saponification values). This work reports for the first time the effects of extraction process parameters on the properties of parinari seed oil. The parinari seeds were harvested and oil was obtained from the seeds by solvent extraction method based on the experimental design. The experimental design followed central composite design (CCD). Effects of extraction parameters on the quality characteristics were investigated. The study parameters were time (2 - 6 h), temperature (60-70 oC), solid- solvent ratio (0.03 - 0.08 g/cm3) and solvent types (n-hexane and petroleum ether). The responses were acid, saponification and iodine values. The results indicated that time and temperature significantly influenced the physicochemical properties of parinari oil. Response Surface Methodology (RSM) based analysis of variance indicated that the models obtained were all significant (p < 0.0001). The set of conditions for the optimal quality was obtained at temperature (60 oC), time (2 h), solid to solvent ratio (0.07 g/cm3) and n-hexane solvent with 89.7% desirability. The effects of the extraction process parameters on parinari oil quality were obtained. The information provided from this work will be useful for potential scaling up of the parinari oil extraction process.