Influence of Solvents on Quality Attributes and Bioactive Compounds in Moringa Whole Seeds and Kernels Oils

This study explores the impact of solvents (petroleum ether, n-hexane, and chloroform-methanol mixtures) on the quality and bioactive compounds of moringa whole seeds oil (MWOSO) and moringa kernels oil (MKRO). Assessing parameters like acid value, peroxide value, fatty acid composition, and antioxidant activity, the research aims to determine the extraction efficiency of these solvents at different ratios (1:1 and 2:1). The results illuminated the consistently superior oil quality achieved through n-hexane extraction, as evidenced by lower AV 1.54 and 1.21 (mg KOH/g) and PV 1.30 and 1.26 (meq. O2/kg) values for MWOSO and MKRO, respectively. Moreover, the induction period highlighted the oxidative stability of oils extracted with n-hexane and chloroform-methanol (2:1), which reached about 7.37 and 7.86 h, respectively. Notably, when comparing the whole seeds and kernels, MKRO demonstrated lower AV and PV and a higher induction period compared to MWOSO along all solvents, suggesting its potential for yielding oils of enhanced quality. MKRO showed higher oil content than MWOSO in all solvents, reaching the highest amount by using chloroform: methanol mixtures. Chloroform: methanol (2:1) showed the highest total tocopherol amounts for both MWOSO and MKRO (23.91 AND 23.88 MG/100G, respectively). Furthermore, the study identified chloroform: methanol 2:1 as the most effective solvent combination for total phenolic content (4.04 and 4.97 mg GAE/100g for MWOSO and MKRO, respectively) and antioxidant activity (DPPH) (52.17 and 66.08% for MWOSO and MKRO, respectively). These findings underscore the critical role of solvent selection in optimizing moringa oil’s quality and bioactive properties.