Qualitative evaluation of ostrich oil (Struthio camelus) for use in cosmetic and food products

Ostrich oil is a valuable resource for cosmetic products or used as a common oil in food industry. However, there is limited information on specifications of the oil. In this study, the oil was extracted from adipose by using wet render method, and then some physicochemical properties (iodine value, saponification number, melting point, refractive index, specific gravity and color) and fatty acid composition were determined. A quick method for measuring alpha-tocopherols and retinol in the ostrich oil has been developed using RP-HPLC with UV detection and microbiological tests were done to evaluate potential contamination. The results of peroxide value and free fatty acid content indicated the efficiency of the fat extraction method. The results showed that the most dominant fatty acids in the oil are oleic (39%), palmitic (28.9) and linoleic 14.29) and the amount of tocopherol in the fat ostrich is 3.5 mg per kg of oil.