Effect of Different Extraction Methods on the Physicochemical Characteristics of Tetracarpidium Conophorum Müll. Arg. Hutch. and Dalz. Almonds Oil

Tetracarpidum conophorum nut is an oil seed found abundantly in the equatorial forest of Central Africa. The present study was conducted to evaluate the yield and the physicochemical composition oils from T. conophorum kernels extracted by cold and hot pressing. The experiments were carried out with mechanical screw press (type – Komet D85-1G) with a nozzle diameter of 8 mm. The extraction method had an influence on oil yield, with a greater yield for hot pressing at 90 °C (68.86 ± 2.00%) compared to cold pressing at 30°C (64.65±3.82%). The refractive index and the density of oils were not significantly different with respect to the extraction methods. The iodine value varies from 146 for hexane extraction to 170 for cold extraction. For both oils, the acid and peroxide values were in line with Codex standards. The oil extracted with hot press method had higher carotenoid content (32.03 ± 1.86 µg/g). a-tocopherol was greater in the oil obtained through the cold process (16.2 ± 0.20 mg/100 g). The seed oils contained substantial amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acids, including precisely linolenic acid (68% of total fatty acids) and linoleic acid (11% of total fatty acids). Based on its characteristics, oils obtained through cold press extraction was of better quality with respect to preservation of bioactive components. T. conophorum oil may have interesting abilities in nutrition, pharmacology and management of metabolic diseases.