Comparative Physicochemical and Proximate Analyses of Different Extracts of Persea americana

Abstract

Avocado and Avocado oil are high in monosaturated oleic acid, a heart-healthy fatty acid that is believed to be one of the main reasons for the health benefits of olive oil. This study, was therefore carried out to determine the physicochemical and proximate composition of the seed and rind of avocado pear with the extraction and characterization of oil obtained from the seed and rind using solvent extraction. The phytochemical screening was also carried out on the seed and rind of avocado pear oil. The moisture contents were (51.05% and 71.77%) for the seed and rind respectively. The ash content of the unripe seed and rind were (0.52% and 0.55%) respectively. The fat (lipid) content in both the unripe seed and rind oil were (21.41g and 9.53 g) respectively. The unripe rind sample was richer in protein (6.4%) and unripe seed being lower (3.04%) to the rind. The crude fibre content for the seed and rind oil were (51.2 g and 2.54 g) respectively. Saponification value of the oil from unripe seed had a higher value of 258.82 mg KOH/g and for unripe rind was 203.47 mg KOH/g. The peroxide value for oil obtained from both unripe seed and rind of Persea americana were 0.91 mg/kg and 0.33 mg/kg respectively. Acid value was low in the unripe seed with a mean value of 0.057 mg KOH/g. It was observed that the Acid value for unripe rind was 0.058 mg KOH/g. The iodine value for rind was 182.85 (gI2/100 g), the seed oil contains 53.78 (gI2/100 g) of iodine. The refractive index was 1.21 and 1.35 for the unripe seed and rind oil respectively. The pH of the various avocado pear extracts also showed their slightly acidic nature.