Chemical composition and profile characterization of Moringa oleifera seed oil
Karima Gharsallah, Leila Rezig, Kamel Msaâda, Abdellah Chalh, Taoufik Soltani
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.