Changes in oxidative stability, composition and physical characteristics of oil from a non-conventional source before and after processing

Abstract

The growing demand for vegetable oils has led to the study of unconventional sources. Buffalo gourd (C. foetidissima Kunth) could be an alternative one. Refining process effect on oil’s composition and physicochemical characteristics, was determined. Oil extraction was carried out by soxhlet method and refining through combined methods. A yield of 34% crude oil was obtained, fatty acid % and peroxide index decreased and no changes for K232 and K270 coefficients were detected. Color varied with refining (L * from 78.36 to 87.51, b * from 18.52 to 11.31). According to fatty acid profile, unsaturated predominated: 73.26% and 63.28%, respectively. No foreign functional groups were detected, according to the FTIR analysis, the viscosity changed from 0.045 to 0.062 Pa*s and the oxidative stability decreased markedly in the refined oil. In the sensory test, no difference was identified between fritters obtained with refined buffalo gourd seed oil and those made with commercial canola oil. Due to the composition and characteristics observed, both crude and refined oil could be an alternative for consumption.