Characterization and fatty acid profile analysis of Jatropha curcas L. oil cultivated in the Algerian desert

This study employed the Soxhlet extraction method to describe the phyto-oil recovered from Jatropha curcas L., which was planted for the first time in the El Oued region of southeastern Algeria, using normal hexane as the solvent at 60 degrees C for 8 h. The dry weight-to-weight oil yield was 63.15%. The extracted oil was liquid at room temperature, with a nice sweet aroma and a yellowish-white hue. The physicochemical properties showed that the seed oil has a moisture level of 5.58%, a density of 0.915, a viscosity of 49.85 mm(2)/s, a peroxide index of 1.1 mEq/kg, an acid value of 2.9%, and an iodine indicator of 96.3 mg/g, a refractive index of 1.458, and a saponification index of 202.87 mg KOH/g. Gas chromatographic analysis showed stearic acid (8.5%), palmitic acid (11.2%), and oleic acid (65.9%). Furthermore, the quality of the extracted oil demonstrated that the seed is an excellent source of oil that might be used in industry.

Automated summary

This study utilized the Soxhlet extraction method to extract phyto-oil from Jatropha curcas L. seeds, showing that these seeds are a high-quality oil source suitable for industrial use.