Solvent assisted extraction of oil from Moringa oleifera Lam. seeds

• Solvent assisted extraction of Moringa oil from the Moringa oleifera Lam. seeds.
• Effect of operating conditions on the extraction of Moringa oil was investigated.
• Maximum extraction yield obtained at chloroform: methanol (3:1) ratio at 100 °C.
• Methanol extracts the pigments and the tocopherol.

The present work reports the extraction of Moringa oil from the Moringao leifera Lam. (Moringaceae) seeds using Soxhlet extraction. The effects of the various operating parameters such as temperature, solvent ratio and solvent type on the extraction yield of the oil have been investigated. The extraction yield of the oil was varied with change in the operating temperatures (ranging from 80 to 110 °C) as well as with change in the solvents ratio (such as, chloroform:methanol (C:M) from 1:1, 2:1, 3:1, 4:1). The maximum extraction yield was obtained at C:M (3:1) ratio. The increase in the yield was also found with the increase in the temperature. The fatty acid compositions of the Moringa oils extracted by the solvent extraction method have been analyzed using gas chromatography (GC). The change in the composition of the fatty acid was seen with the change in the solvent media. Also, this extracted oil was analyzed by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA) analysis. From TGA analysis it was found that, the oil degrade at temperature about 425–450 °C. The oil was also analyzed with the physicochemical properties and the phytochemical tests to confirm the presence of saponins, flavonoids, steroids, terpenoids, phenols, and triterpenoids. It was found that the solvent extraction is an effective method for the Moringa oil extraction.