Nutritional Composition and Fatty Acids Profile of Ficus Exasperata Fruit and Fruit Oil

The proximate compositions, mineral elements contents and fatty acids profiles of fruit oil of Ficus exasperata were studied with a view to investigating its nutraceutical potentials. The proximate analysis showed that the fruit contain valuable nutrients; (g/100g) crude protein (11.38 ± 0.02), crude fibre (16.78 ± 0.04), ash (9.68 ± 0.01), crude fat (4.28 ± 0.00), moisture content (7.58 ± 0.01), and carbohydrate (67.48 ± 0.01). The results of mineral analysis (in mg/100g) revealed the presence of potassium (3262.28 ±6.87), calcium (1721.00 ± 4.04), iron (330.81 ± 8.32), titanium (28.00 ± 0.01), manganese (18.08 ± 0.18), copper (14.04 ± 1.51), chromium (0.08 ± 0.02) and nickel (0.37 ± 0.11). The fatty acids profile showed that the fruit oil contains higher proportion of unsaturated fatty acids, linoleic acid (54.54 %) and oleic acid (18.89 %). The major saturated fatty acids detected include stearic acid (9.10 %), and palmitic acid (7.32 %). Thus the fruit could be another dietary source of nutraceuticals. Keywords: Fatty acids, Ficus exasperata fruit, Mineral elements, Nutraceuticals, Proximate constituents

The Potential of Some Non-Conventional Vegetable Oils in Biodiesel Applications

This work studied the potentials of some non-conventional oils biodiesel as an alternative to biodiesel made from a conventional seed oil (palm kernel oil), and petroleum-based diesel. The fruits of three non-conventional oilseeds, namely:PerseaAmericana (Avocado pear), Irvingiagabonenses (Dica nut) and Darcryodesedulis (Native pear)were obtained from local markets in Ile-Ife, Osun State Nigeria while petroleum-based diesel (PBD) used for comparative study was obtained commercially.The outer fleshylayers of the fruitswere separated from the seeds while both were air-dried for some days and later milled. The oils extracted from the milled samples were esterified to produce biodiesel usingmethanol in the presence of NaOH as catalyst. The biodiesels were analyzed for their fuel properties using standard methods.Results showed that the biodiesel yield ofIrvingiagabonensisoil diesel (IGOD),Darcryodesedulisoil diesel (DEOD) and Persia americanaoil diesel (PAOD) were94%, 82% and 96% respectively. These values compared favourably with that of palm kernel oil diesel (PKOD) (91%) produced under same conditions, and with the literature standard yield of 96.5% set for biodiesel. The pour pointsof PKOD, PAOD and DEOD were3, -6 and 1oC,respectively, with PAOD pour point very close to that of PBD (≥-10oC) obtained under similar experimental conditions. Except for IGOD, all the oils have pour points within the standard range of -15 to 16oC set for biodiesel suggesting the suitability of the oils for biodiesel applications.The iodine values of the biodiesel ranged between 9.64 and 16.52 meq/kg and agreed closely with 12-18 meq/kg reported in literature for PKOD. The biodiesel blend with PBD in the ratio 10:90, 20:80, 30:70 and 40:60 demonstratedimprovedphysico-chemical properties (including smoke point, flash point, cloud point, pour point, density, viscosity and acid value) that could meet the fluidity requirements for biodiesel applications

Nutrient and Anti-nutrient Phytochemicals in Ficus exasperata Vahl Leaves

Abstract — Ficus exasperata leaves were analyzed for the level of nutrient and anti- nutrients phytochemicals in an effort to determine their food benefits. Proximate analysis revealed that the leaves have 3.85 g/100g moisture, 12.19 g/100g ash, 4.25 g/100g crude fat, 6.91 g/100g crude protein, 17.24 g/100g crude fibre and 72.81 g/100g carbohydrate. The level of Ascorbic acid was 92.4 mg/100g. The mineral elements quantified by XRF were in the order potassium (3.36 g/100g)> calcium (1.13 g/100g)> titanium (0.03 g/100g)> manganese (220.31mg/kg)> iron (122.95 mg/kg)> copper (104.13 mg/kg). The levels of anti-nutrients (mg/100g) were tannin (122.95); saponin (44.50); alkaloid (48.80) and phytate (5.92). The leaves could contribute to nutrient needs of man and the domestication should be encouraged

Optimization of oil extraction from Pitanga (Eugenia Uniflora L) leaves using Simplex Centroid Design (SCD)

Simplex centroid design (SCD) was employed to optimize the mixing of petroleum ether, n-hexane, methanol and ethanol for the extraction of oil (PLO) from Pitanga (Eugenia uniflora L.) leaves, via Soxhlet extraction. The highest yield (54%) of Pitanga leaf oil (PLO) was obtained with 100% ethanol and the lowest yield (16%) from the mixture of methanol (33.3%)/hexane (33.3%)/ethanol (33.3%). The coefficient of determination (R2) of the model equation obtained was 0.91, while the adjusted R2 and predicted R2 were 0.8729 and 0.951, respectively. The saponification value (S.V.), iodine value, acid value and free fatty acid (FFA) are 35.34 mgKOH/g, 72.97 mgI2/g oil, 32.41 and 16.30 mgKOH/g, respectively