Abstract
Samples of baobab fruits from which oils were extracted were collected from Sandawi and Chamwino villages in Dodoma region, Tanzania. The oil was extracted from the kernel powders using n-hexane and the extracts were derivatized to fatty acid methyl esters, and then subjected to GC and GC-MS analyses for fatty acids content. The physiochemical properties of the oil indicated that baobab seed oil is suitable for soap-making and other cosmetics. The combined GC and GC-MS results showed the existence of eight fatty acids, namely: palmitic acid (22.02%), palmitoleic acid (1.87%), tariric acid (7.08%), elaidic acid (41.29%), oleic acid (35.72%), linoleic acid, (27.80%), myristic acid (0.19%), and margaric acid (0.30%). The high content of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids (78.04%) compared to saturated fatty acid (22.51%) suggests that baobab seed oil has a good potential to be useful as food oil
Recommended Citation
T. Zacharia, James
(2020)
"Journal of Education, Humanities and Sciences, Volume 9 No. 2, 2020: 107–113 © Dar es Salaam University College of Education (DUCE), 2020 Fatty Acids Composition of Adansonia digitata (Baobab) Seed Oil from Tanzania,"
Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences: Vol. 09
:
No.
2
, Article 1.
Available at: https://doi.org/10.56279/jhss.v9i2.57
Publication Date
11-19-2020
DOI
10.56279/jhss.v9i2.57