Physico-Chemical Properties of Sacha Inchi (Plukenetia volubilis L.) Seed Oil from Vietnam

Abstract

Sacha inchi (Plukenetia volubilis L.) seed oil was studied for physico-chemical characteristics and chemical composition. Through gas chromatography-flame ionization (GC-FID) process, the fatty acid composition in the oil was analyzed, revealing that the oil is rich in linoleic acid (42.62 %), linolenic acid (36.32 %) and oleic acid (11.64 %). The tocopherol level in the oil was also high (7.7 ± 0.005 mg/Kg), revealed by high-performance liquid chromatography/ultraviolet-visible detector (HPLC/UV-VIS). The physico-chemical properties of the oil were also examined, including viscosity (88-92 cP), acid value (2.05 ± 0.005 mg KOH/g), saponification content (183.5 ± 1.45 mg KOH/g) and iodine value (192.4 ± 1.55 g I2/100 g). The results also indicated that sacha inchi is a health beneficial oil due to the high contents of essential fatty acids (ω-3, ω-6 and ω-9).