Potential New Sources of Oleic Acids from Wild Plants from Kivu, D.R. Congo

Research Article

Potential New Sources of Oleic Acids from Wild Plants from Kivu, D.R. Congo

M. Kazadi, M.T. Bokota , P.T. Mpiana

Corresponding Author : Mpiana P.T.,

Dapartement de Biologie, Centre de Recherches en sciences Naturelles, Lwiro, Sud Kivu, D.R.Congo.

Email ID : ptmpiana@yahoo.fr

Received : 2014-04-12 Accepted : 2014-04-25 Published : 2014-04-30

Abstract : Oleic oil is one of the better known fatty acid for consumption and from a health standpoint. It is known to slow the development of heart disease and to produce antioxidants. Oils from Carapa grandiflora and Carapa procera (Meliaceae), Cardiospermum halicacabum (Sapindaceae), Maesopsis eminii (Rhamnaceae), Millettia dura (Fabaceae), Pentaclethra macrophylla (Fabaceae), Podocarpus usambarensis (Podocarpaceae) and Treculia africana (Moraceae) were analysed using gas chromatography to determine their fatty acids composition. These plants are very frequent and grow wild in Kahuzi-Biega National Park and surrounding in the Kivu region, D.R. Congo and are used by the local population mainly for nutrition and medical purposes. Twenty-four fatty acids were determined and oleic acid was the predominant fatty acid in the seed oil from six of the eight analyzed plant species, with 41.2% in C. grandiflora, 42.8% in C. procera, 39.9% in P. usambarensis, 37.5% in C. halicacabum, 37.0% in M. eminii, 30.8% in T. africana and 32.3% in M. dura. The oleic acid fraction in all these 8 analyzed oils ranges 30.8 - 42.8%. In comparison to palm oil and palm olein, commodities with high economic importance which comprise respectively 39.1 and 46.0% oleic acid, C. grandiflora and C. procera (41.2 and 42.8% of oleic acid, respectively) can be new cheap sources of this acid. All analyzed oils here can be used as sources of olein, because the oleic content of all 8 plant species is enough high to be enhanced by fractionation to become a good source of high-oleic oils.

Keywords : Oilseed plants; olein; fatty acids composition; Kahuzi-Biega National Park.

Citation : Mpiana P.T., et al (2014) Potential New Sources of Oleic Acids from Wild Plants from Kivu, D.R. Congo. j. of Physical and Chemical Sciences.V1I2.03. DOI : 10.5281/zenodo.893533

Copyright : © 2014 Mpiana P.T. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

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