Solvent-assisted extraction of oil from papaya (Carica papaya L.) seeds: evaluation of its physiochemical properties and fatty-acid composition

The present work reports the solvent-assisted extraction of oil from papaya (Carica papaya L.) seeds. Various operating parameters such as solid solvent ratio, temperature and time on oil yield, and its effects have been investigated using response surface methodology. The experimental oil yield (20.30 +/- 0.03%) at optimal condition was well agreed with the predicted value. The compositions from GC-FID results showed saturated fatty acid (20.94%), monounsaturated fatty acid (73.12%), and polyunsaturated fatty acid (4.96%). It was also found that the solvent-assisted extraction is a simple and effective method for extraction of oil from papaya seeds.