Isolation, chemical and physical investigation of oil from avocado fruit grown in Kenya
Abstract
Solvent
extraction
is
one
of
the
methods
used
for
extracting
avocado
oil.
The
present
study
examined
cold
solvent
extraction
of
avocado
oil
using
8
different
solvents.
The
avocado
fruits,
fuerte
variety
,
were
obtained
from
Kiambu,
Kitale
and
Murang
/
a.
The
e
d
i
b
I
e
port
i
on
of
the
undr
I
ed
fru
i
t
was
ground
to
a
homogeneous
paste,
mi
xed
with
a
bout
200
ml
of
solvent,
and
then
allowed
to
stand
at
room
temperature
for
24
hours.
The
o
l
I
content
from
fruits
of
average
maturity
was
as
fol
lows:
water
2
.
67-3.12
%,
acetone
0
%
,
methanol
o
~
0
,
n-hexane
8.24
~
o
,
cyclohexan
e
11
.
21
~
0,
petroleum
ether
(PE)
13.55
%,
ethanol
12.14
%
and
carbon
t
etrach
I
or
i
de
6.20
~
o
.
The
most
effective
solvent
was
evaluated
on
basis
of
price,
avai
I
a
bi
I
i
ty,
o
i
I
percentage,
recovery
and
nature
.
-
of
a
i
1.
Us
I
ng
petro
I
eum
ether
(80
%
recovery),
avocado
fruits
of
varying
maturity,
yielded
1.83-31.85
%
of
oil.
The
various
parameters
of
oil
determined
include
d
25
0.85389
~-
0.00117,
1
.
46475
±
0.00063,
ll
.
25
19.8957
centipoises,
acid
number
2.354
+
0
.
264,
saponification
number
186.761
±
3.523,
saponification
equivalent
300.491
+
5.704,
unsaponifiable
matter
1.49
%,
iodine
number
87.809
+
3.891
,
boi
I
ing
point
without
decomposition
223.574
c
x
l
I
l
r
Citation
Master of Science in ChemistryPublisher
University of Nairobi