Phytochemical composition of desert date kernel (Balanites aegyptiaca) and the physical and chemical characteristics of its oil
1 Department of Chemistry, Yusuf Maitama Sule University, Kano.
2 Department of Science Laboratory Technology, School of Technology Kano.
3 Department of Chemistry, School of Science Education, FCE (T) Bichi.
Research Article
GSC Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2020, 11(03), 197-207.
Article DOI: 10.30574/gscbps.2020.11.3.0166
Publication history:
Received on 08 June 2020; revised on 26 June 2020; accepted on 27 June 2020
Abstract:
The desert date (Balanites aegyptiaca) is an important tree found in some African countries. In this study the phytochemical composition of the desert date kernel and some physical and chemical properties of its oil were analyzed using standard procedures. The results of the phytochemical screening revealed the presence of alkaloids, saponins, flavonoids, tannins, steroids and glycosides. While the results for the physical analysis of the kernel oil revealed the following: Color, pale yellow; density, 0.910 g/cm3; specific gravity, 0.907; refractive index, 1.458; and viscosity, 19.68. And on the other hand, the results for the chemical analysis of the kernel oil revealed the following: Acid value, 3.06 mgKOH/g; free fatty acid, 1.27; peroxide value, 3.71 mEq/Kg; saponification value, 198 mg/KOH/g; and iodine value, 98.73 100/g. All the results were compared and found to be within the FAO/WHO standards.
Keywords:
Desert date; Kernel; Phytochemical composition; Chemical characteristics
Full text article in PDF:
Copyright information:
Copyright © 2020 Author(s) retain the copyright of this article. This article is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Liscense 4.0
