Effect of Pre-treatment on Quality Attributes of Pentaclethra macrophylla Benth Oil Expressed using an Oil Expeller: A Response Surface Approach

Abstract Investigations into some unexploited oleaginous seeds is imperative to supplement existing ones and boost supply of vegetable oil (VO). This work determined the impact of pre-treatment on some quality attributes of VO expressed from Pentaclethra macrophylla kernels using an oil expeller. Pre-treatment variables include Moisture Content (Mc), Roasting Temperature (RT), and Roasting Time (Rt) while quality parameters include pH, Iron content (IC), Acid Value (Av), Peroxide Value (Pv) and Saponification value (Sv). Standard procedures were followed in determination of oil quality and values obtained were compared with acceptable levels for VO. Optimum condition (8%db, 11.7 min Rt and 59.3oC RT) gave 5.8 pH, 0.044 mg/kg IC, 2.3 mgKOH/g AV, and 7 ml/g PV. The oil quality attributes conforms to acceptable levels for edible oils and was influenced by pre-treatment. The models developed to predict the relationships between pre-treatment and quality attributes are valid (p < 0.05).