Fatty acid composition of the seed oil of Khaya senegalensis

The oil from Khaya senegalensis seeds, a dry-zone mahogany plant, was soxhlet extracted with petroleum ether (40–60°C) and characterized by gas chromatograph and infra-red spectroscopy. The fatty acid constituents of the oil were stearic acid (10.41%), palmitic acid (21.39%), oleic acid (64.62%) and unidentifiable acid (3.58%). The presence of unsaturation in the oil was confirmed by infra-red peaks at 1642 and 3003 cm−1, attributed to olefinic C=C and C–H stretching vibrations, respectively.