A Comparative Study of the Physicochemical Properties of Oils Extracted from Common Species of the Niger Delta <i>Raphia </i>Palm Fruits and <i>Elaeis guineensis</i>

Abstract

<i>Elaeis guineensis </i>oils (palm oil and palm kernel oil) are versatile ingredients widely used in food applications as well as in the industrial production of biofuels and other oleochemicals. Global demand for <i>Elaeis guineensis </i>oils is increasing and has surpassed other vegetable oils. In many nations such as Nigeria, the demand outweighs the supply. Consequently, the prices of the oils have been relatively high and there is high demand for land for the cultivation of the palms. However,<i> Elaeis guineensis cultivation</i> has been noted for several environmental, climatic and social challenges. Based on these reasons, concerted efforts are being made to search for a promising feedstock that can either be used in conjunction with or as an alternative to <i>Elaeis guineensis </i>oils. In this study, oils were extracted from the mesocarp of common species of the Niger Delta <i>Raphia</i> palm fruits (<i>Raphia</i> <i>farinifera</i>, <i>Raphia hookeri</i> and <i>Raphia</i> <i>vinifera</i>) as wells as the mesocarp and kernel of <i>Elaeis guineensis </i>fruits. The potentials of using each of the <i>Raphia</i> palm oils as an alternative to <i>Elaeis guineensis </i>oils were evaluated based on standard physiochemical properties obtained using standard analytical techniques. The study showed that oils extracted from common species of the Niger Delta <i>Raphia</i> palm fruits and are very similar to <i>Elaeis guineensis </i>oils in many aspects. However, most of the physiochemical properties results showed that oils extracted from common species of the Niger Delta <i>Raphia</i> palm fruits are more suited as replacement to <i>Elaeis guineensis </i>oils in the production of biofuels and other oleochemicals than for food or edibility purposes.