Journal of Fundamentals of Renewable Energy and Applications
Open Access
ISSN: 2090-4541
+44 1300 500008
ISSN: 2090-4541
+44 1300 500008
Helene Fotouo-M, Elsa S du Toit and Petrus J Robbertse
University of Pretoria, South Africa
Posters & Accepted Abstracts: J Fundam Renewable Energy App
Moringa seed oil is known as Ben oil. Recently research by several authors illustrated the potential use of Ben oil for biodiesel production. Oil quality is directly related to the physiological condition of the seeds from which it is extracted. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of various storage conditions and�duration on moringa seed oil quantity and quality as a potential source of biodiesel. Firstly, oil was extracted from fresh seeds and stored in dark bottles at room temperature. Secondly, seeds were stored following a factorial 2 �� 4 �� 3 experiment with two types of containers (paper and aluminium bags), four temperatures (�19, 4, 20 and 30�C) and three storage periods (6, 12 and 24 months). Results show that the oil content of moringa seed did not change significantly after 12 months of storage, but decreased significantly at 24 months. The free fatty acid increased significantly after 12 months at all storage conditions and continued to increase above the recommended value (2%) for biodiesel parent oil at 24 months, except for that of seed stored at �19�C in aluminium bags. The density of moringa seed oil remained unchanged throughout storage. The viscosity of oil extracted from seed stored in paper bags at �19�C and that of the stored oil decreased significantly at 24 months. Based on these results, moringa seed can be stored at any of the applied conditions for six months, but if they are stored beyond this period, the use of low temperature (� 4�C) and sealed containers are recommended. It is not advisable to store the extracted oil for more than 6 months.
Email: helene.fotouo@up.ac.za