FTIR Characterization and Physicochemical Evaluation ofCottonseed Oil

In present study,cottonseed (Gossypium) varieties (RH-112, Lankart-57, K-25, F-20 and D-9)were evaluated for possible variation in quality attributes by using conventional and instrumentaltechniques. Physiochemical characteristics of seed and oils varied as: weight of individual seed(0.069-0.085g), weight of 100 seeds (5.95-7.73g), width (0.461-0.544cm), length (0.736-0.915cm), moisture (6.2-8.5%), oil content (12.01 to14.55%), refractive index at 40oC (1.4661-1.4665)iodine value (IV) (93.90-105.76gI2/100g), saponification value (SV) (181.83-190.55 mgKOH/g),peroxide value (PV) (1.0-6.0mEq/Kg), free fatty acids (FFA) (17.30-38.80%) and inductionperiod (IP) (1.95-2.65 h), respectively. Analyzed varieties showed higher level of FFA (17.30-38.80%), while lower level ofIP (1.95-2.65 h) respectively.Furthermore, GC-FID and FT-IRstudies were carried out for quantitative and qualitative analysis of cottonseed oil. Analysisshowed that most abundant fatty acid in each varietywas linoleic acid (42.09-52.55%) amongunsaturated fatty acids, whereas palmitic acid (22.70-26.20 %) was major saturated fatty acid.Some bandintensities of FTIR spectra highly correlated with the chemical properties ofcottonseed oil such as IV, SV, PV, FFA and IP. In conclusion significant variation inphysiochemical properties was observed among five cottonseed varieties, especially FFA and IPof cottonseed oil which is not good for the quality and edible point of view. This can beassociated with the specific genetic variability and climatic conditions.