Extraction Yield Efficiency And Loss Of The Traditional Hot Water Floatation HWF Method Of Oil Extraction From The Seeds Of Allanblackia Floribunda

Abstract The research was conducted to determine the Extraction Yield Extraction Efficiency and Extraction Loss associated with the traditional Hot Water Floatation method of oil extraction. Matured dry seeds of Allanblackia floribunda 50 Kg were used. Allanblackia floribunda a tree species of the Guttiferae family grows naturally in tropical rainforests zones. In Ghana Allanblackia floribunda is quite unknown hence little production of oil is carried out. However the oil extracted can have diverse domestic commercial and industrial uses. The oil production is important not only among small-to-medium scale industrialists but also to rural populace as it employs a substantial workforce and serves as a source of income to many communities engaged in the exercise. The method employed is the oldest cheapest and most practiced in the study location. The extraction process basically comprises of five fundamental steps thermal conditioning of the seeds milling extraction by boiling oil recovery and drying. The method yielded 21.1 kg of oil a residual cake of 26.2 Kg and a process loss of 2.7 Kg at a moisture content of 13.1 representing 42.2 Extraction yield 58.6 Extraction efficiency and 5.4 Extraction loss. The yield exceeded the minimum oil yield for commercial domestic and industrial consideration.