Vegetables and
fruits are essential foods in our diet and also have many compounds that are
beneficial for health due to minor components which include phenolic substances
(Francisco et al., 2012). The
consumption of the tropical-subtropical fruit, avocado, has increased
considerably in the last century throughout Nigeria. There seems to be
potential for further increases in consumption in the future (Manuela, 2011).Nowadays,
great importance has been attached to oils from fruits and seeds, this is
because of their numerous functions and uses to mankind. Fats and oils from
seeds act as insulators to the body. They serve as protective layer or covering
for the internal organs such as heart and lung. They also serve as sources of
energy to the body in the absence of carbohydrates (Akpabio et al., 2011).
Persea
americana, commonly known as Avocado, is a fruit that contains a high value
of oil and chlorophyll concentration which when extracted results to an oil of
emerald green color (Genevive et al.,
2013). The avocado fruit is rich in nutrients, high in proteins, antioxidants
and dietary fiber is perhaps the most poorly conceived and misunderstood fruit
of all times. This is mainly attributed to its high fat and calorie content and
so most nutritionists and dieticians either advise against it or to use it
“sparingly” (Kuinimeri, 2007). The presence of a ‘tree factor’ and C7 sugars
has been hypothesized to act as inhibitors in the repining process of avocado
fruit. Additionally, the content of sugars seems to decrease with fruit
maturity. Also, in exceptional cases, avocados do not ripen until harvested
although maturity does increase while the fruit remains on the tree (Manuela,
2011).
There had been
many studies regarding the extraction of avocado pulp. Most of these have
indicated the high amount of oleic acid present in avocado. Oleic acid is said
to be an effective aid to lower serum cholesterol levels and low-density
lipoproteins in the human body (Genevive et
al., 2013). However, with the abundant production of avocado apple in
Nigeria, 15% of avocado pear (pericarp/peels) is discarded as waste which ought
to have been a potential source for the production of oils for industrial
applications, specifically, the fruits’ pericarp that are reported to have
antiviral, antibiotic and insecticidal properties and employed as a vermifuge
and remedy for dysentery and in the production of cosmetics (Adama and Edoga,
2011).
Nowadays, great importance has been attached to oils
from fruits and seeds, this is because of their numerous functions and uses to
mankind. Due to this fact the demand for avocado oil has increased. This work
will therefore focus on improving the production of the oil in large quantities
to meet up the demand by investigating some parameters that would enhance
better production.
The aim of this
work is to study the effect of solvent type and extraction time on the yield of
Avocado pear seed oil using solvent extraction method.
The objectives
of this work are:
1.
To carry out seed preparation
2.
To carry out solvent extraction process using soaking
method
3.
Finding out the oil yield of avocado pear by varying
the solvent type and extraction time.
This study will be conducted on the seed of
an Avocado Pear (Persea americana) and the method to be employed will be carried out in the laboratory
using soaking method with hexane, diethyl ether and chloroform as
solvents in determining the best
possible yield with varying time intervals.
This study will
give a full knowledge of the parameters to consider when carrying out a
commercial production of oil from avocado pear seed in order to get a better
yield. With this information, the production of avocado oil from the seed will
be optimized by choosing the best solvent required for maximum extraction. This
will provide better parameters to be used in the conversion of seed as a form
of waste to useful products.