Application of high resolution NMR, FTIR, and GC-MS to a comparative study of some indigenous seed oils from Botswana

The four plants studied are highly treasured in the areas where they grow due to the fact that they have for centuries provided food security, and means of livelihood for populations living in the Kalahari Desert and other marginal regions of the southern Africa region. Currently, there is a drive to add value to such often underutilized plants to aid in poverty alleviation by processing and marketing the products as healthy food supplements or cosmetic formulations. To this end, reliable methods for characterization and comparison of the FA composition of the seed oils from different geographical locations is required. The development of rapid, non-destructive spectroscopic techniques that can be applied directly on the neat oils is therefore an important venture.