Sesame Seeds and Flax Food Oils: Extraction and Physicochemical Characterizations

Abstract

The objective of this study is the extraction, characterization and analysis of seed oils of flax and sesame for a better appreciation of these oils. Extraction carried out by the Soxhlet method gave an oil yield of the order of 50.6% for sesame and 42% for flax. The obtained values for the different physical-chemical indices (refractive index, acid, peroxide and saponification) are in the standards except for flaxseed oil, which has an acid value of around 8 mg KOH /g of oil, reflecting the strong presence of free fatty acid. The profiles of the obtained FTIR spectra during the analysis of the two oils are similar, with relative intensities of the absorption bands slightly different. The analysis of the fatty acid profile by GC / MS shows the presence of unsaturated fatty acids (linoleic acid, oleic acid), saturated fatty acids; palmitic acid (C16) and stearic acid (C18) in the case of flax oil, and the presence of palmitic acid in sesame oil.