TITLE:
Extraction and Characterization of Oil from Moringa oleifera Using Supercritical CO2 and Traditional Solvents
AUTHORS:
Jessica Ortiz Palafox, Abelardo Navarrete, Julio C. Sacramento-Rivero, Carlos Rubio-Atoche, Pablo Acereto Escoffie, Jose Antonio Rocha-Uribe
KEYWORDS:
Moringa oleifera; CO2 Supercritical Extraction; Solvent Extraction; Ben Oil
JOURNAL NAME:
American Journal of Analytical Chemistry,
Vol.3 No.12A,
December
31,
2012
ABSTRACT:
The present work
presents a first characterization of the oil from the Moringa (Moringa oleifera) kernel as a potential
candidate for biodiesel production. Moringa is an indigenous tree in the
Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, where there is a nascent biodiesel industry.
Several extraction methods are compared in terms of the extraction yields,
including solvent extraction (n-hexane
and ethanol), and supercritical extraction (Sc-CO2). The results are
also compared against previ- ously reported data. For supercritical extraction pressures of 200 to 400
bar and temperatures of 40℃ and 60℃ were tested. Gas Chromatography analysis
reveals that the main fatty acids in Moringa oil are oleic acid (69%), palmitic
acid (10%), and stearic acid (8%).