Oil Yield Determination for <i>Moringa oleifera</i> Seeds Using n-Hexane or Ethanol; Extraction Time or Number of Siphons?

Abstract

Solvent extraction is commonly used to extract oil from most seeds, including Moringa oleifera (MO). Oil extraction is a critical step in the production of cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and other products that require the maximum amount of oil from the seed. On the other hand, MO as a coagulant need to be oil-free for coagulation performance. Therefore, optimization of oil yield is kept up to date. The extraction time, seed to solvent ratio, and particle size are the most optimised parameters reported on MO. Most Soxhlet extraction methodologies reported in the past mention a time range for extracting oil from the seed. Following the same extraction time, however, frequently results in variation in the yield of MO obtained. Because of this lack of reproducibility in oil yield, it has been demonstrated that using extraction time as a basis for monitoring the point at which maximum oil yield is achieved is not completely reliable. The range of ratios, solvent type, moisture content of the seed and the heating mantle vary from one to another. This study is focusing on oil extraction based on the number of siphons(8,16,24,32 siphons) using 2 different solvents (ethanol with a boiling point of and n-henaxe with a boiling point of) and shows that the optimum oil yield is at 16 siphons. It is also important to see when the extraction should stop for industrial scale to be cost effective. This method is then validated with two batches of MO seed for reproducibility. In addition, the use of polar solvents such as ethanol may also remove more protein and minerals from the seed, which can affect the quality and performance of the defatted MO seed in coagulation assays. Hence, EDS tests are included for preparing the suitable solvent used based on mineral removal.