%0 Journal Article
%T Fatty Acid Composition and Lipid Profile of Diospyros mespiliformis, Albizia lebbeck, and Caesalpinia pulcherrima Seed Oils from Nigeria
%A Adewale Adewuyi
%A Rotimi Ayodele Oderinde
%J International Journal of Food Science
%D 2014
%I Hindawi Publishing Corporation
%R 10.1155/2014/283614
%X The screening of lesser-known underutilized seeds as source of food has been a way of finding solution to food insecurity in developing nations. In this regard, oil as a class of food was extracted from the seeds of Diospyros mespiliformis£¿£¿%), Albizia lebbeck£¿£¿%), and Caesalpinia pulcherrima£¿£¿%). The oils were finally analyzed for their fatty acid composition, lipid classes, fatty acid distribution in the lipid fractions, and molecular speciation of the triacylglycerols, glycolipids, and phospholipids. The fatty acid composition of the oils varied with C18:2 fatty acid being the most dominant in the oils. Neutral lipids were the most abundant lipid class found in the oils while molecular species of the triacylglycerol with equivalent carbon chain number C40 was majorly present in the oils of Diospyros mespiliformis and Caesalpinia pulcherrima. The present study presents lesser-known underutilized seeds as possible sources of food. 1. Introduction In time past, food insecurity has been a fundamental problem confronting most developing countries of the world. Access to adequate food has been a challenge because of the high level of poverty in developing nations of the world. As a result of this, there are concerted efforts to improve food production in some of these countries, but the populace still suffer from malnutrition due to certain constringent factors [1, 2]. Apart from inadequate food storage, production, and processing, the demand on food as industrial feed stock by local upcoming industries has also posed serious problem of food insecurity in such regions of the world. Oil and fat play vital role as a source of nutrient for both human and animals. Besides being food, they are also a functional means of industrial feed stock for the production of other industrial and domestic products. In South-East Asia, Europe, United States, and China, palm oil, rapeseed oil, and transgenic soybeans are well known conventional seed oils used to produce biodiesel. These oils are edible and can serve as food. Their use as feed stock for the production of biodiesel poses a threat on food security as this has also led to increase in their price in the market making them unaffordable for poor and low income earners. These well known conventional seed oils have also found applications in cosmetic, polymer, pharmaceuticals, and oleochemical industries. Over the years, a number of researchers have investigated the potential suitability of plant seed species in serving as replacement for some of these well known conventional seed oils. A few of these oil bearing
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ijfs/2014/283614/