Physicochemical Evaluation of Purslane Seed Oil

purslane (Portulaca oleracea) is a member of the portulacaceae. Purslane has been described as a power food of the future because of its high nutritive and antioxidant properties. Purslane is listed in the world health organization as one of the most used medicinal plants and it has been given the term “Global panacea “. This study is concerned with the evaluation of physicochemical characteristics of the oil extracted from purslane seeds. In this research work purslane seeds were subjected to oil extraction. The extracted oils were subjected to a series of physical and chemical tests consisting of fatty acid composition, iodine value, colour measurement, saponification value, nonsaponifiable matter contents, acid value, peroxide value, phospholipids contents, metal contents, sterols and tocopherol compositions and contents. The extracted oils accounted for 13.4% of the total weight of the seeds. The fatty acid profile of the isolated oil indicated that linoleic and V– linolenic acids were the predominant fatty acids present. Examination of the isolated nonsaponifiable matter of the oil showed that V- tocopherol and X- sitosterol were the predominant tocopherol and sterol respectively. It was concluded that purslane seeds oil due to its high nutritive and antioxidant values might be regarded as a valuable oil for human consumption.