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ABSTRACT
The study evaluate physical and energy value of Jatropha curcas seed oil. Fully ripened Jatropha curcas fruits were collected from Jatropha plantation closed to Wildlife Ecotourism proposed site, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Benin, Benin City. Samples were collected from three parts of the plantation. The seeds were extracted from the fruits and air-dried accordingly. The dried seeds were taken to Faculty of Agriculture, University of Benin, Benin City main laboratory. The seeds were dehusked and grinded using ceramic mortar and pestle. The oil was extracted using a 500ml soxhler extraction apparatus using N-Hexane. Excess N-Hexane were recovered after removing the extracted sample from the extractor and oil parameters determined according to AOAC official method. Data collected were analyzed using inferential statistics with analysis of variance (ANOVA) at 5% level of significance. The results showed that the oil percentage, viscosity, and specific gravity of J. curcas were 40.75±1.3-42.04±1.9, 30.0±0.0, and 0.89±0.2-0.91±0.2 respectively. The results revealed significant different (P˂0.05) in oil percentage and specific gravity among the J. curcas seed oil extracted from the samples collected from the three plots. The values of viscosity among the samples from the three plots revealed no significant different (P>0.05). The calorific value of J. curcas seed oil ranges 28.89±0.22-31.09±0.96. The results showed significant different (P˂0.05) in calorific value among the J. curcas seed oil extracted from the samples collected from the three position. The calorific values recorded in plot III differ significantly (P>0.05) from the values recorded in other plots under review. In conclusion, the physical properties and calorific value of J. curcas seed oil compare favourably with some conventional oil seed plants.
