Abstract:
Oil was extracted from Pterocarpus erinaceus dye with hexane using a soxhlet. The percentage oil content was found to be 5.1 %. Some physicochemical parameters of the oil were then determined. Iodine value, Saponification value, Peroxide value and Acid value were determined according to standard methods. Abbe Refractometer was used to measure the refractive index of the oil at 20 oC. The specific gravity was determined with the aid of a specific gravity bottle. The physicochemical parameters obtained were compared with other vegetable oils such as coconut oil, palm kernel oil, babassu oil and palm kernel stearin.
The following values were obtained for the various parameters measured: Saponification Value (144 mgKOH/g), Iodine Value (3.03 gI2/100g), Acid Value (3.78 mgKOH/g), Peroxide Value (3.4 mEq/Kg), Refractive Index (1.473) and Specific Gravity (0.7424). Thin-Layer Chromatography of the oil revealed the presence of three components with retardation factors of 0.4328, 0.2388 and 0.1493.
The fatty acids present in the oil were determined using GC-MS analysis. The compounds in the oil were identified using their retention time indices, mass spectra and fragmentation patterns in reference to those contained in the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) library. The fatty acids detected include palmitic acid, linoleic acid and stearic acid. Some n-alkanes were also identified.
Antibacteria test was conducted on the oil using Agar-diffusion method. The activity of the oil was tested on Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Bacillus cereus, Salmonella dysenteriea, Enterococcus faecalis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella spp and Salmonella typhae. The oil was inactive towards the test organisms. However, phytochemical screening of the dye revealed the presence of tannins, cardiac glycosides, sterols, flavonoids, terpenoids and reducing sugar. Alkaloids, phlobatanins and saponnins were absent.
The oil of Pterocarpus erinaceus is a non-drying oil containing majorly saturated fatty acids. It can find application in the soap and cosmetic industries. It can also be used as hydraulic brake fluid and as lubricant, but it cannot be used as antibacteria agent.
