Comparison of Physicochemical Properties and Fatty Acid Composition of Crocodile Oil (Crocodylus siamensis) Extracted by Using Various Extraction Methods

Abstract

Crocodile oil has been used worldwide for cosmetic and pharmaceutical purposes due to its essential fatty acid contents. This study aimed to investigate the best extraction method of crocodile oil extracted from abdominal adipose tissues (Crocodylus siamensis) by using four different ways. The results showed that the oil derived from the dry rendering method had lower levels of omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid (0.92 ± 0.049 g per 100 g sample) when compared to the oil extracted by using the other methods (1.16 ± 0.142, 0.96 ± 0.049, and 1.18 ± 0.010 g per 100 g sample, respectively). Interestingly, the crocodile oil extracted by wet cold pressing showed no bottom clouded sediment with a more transparent light-yellow color compared to the other oil samples. Moreover, the principle component analysis plots showed a highly positive relationship (r > 0.87) for docosahexaenoic acid (omega-3) and arachidonic acid (omega-6) in crocodile oil extracted using all methods. Therefore, it could be suggested that the modified wet cold pressing method could produce high-quality crocodile oil and could be adapted to further food and dietary supplement processing industries.