TITLE:
Improving the Quality of Baobab Oil by Filtration on Activated Carbon from the Fruit Capsules
AUTHORS:
Edouard Mbarick Ndiaye, Alioune Sow, Papa Guédel Faye, Kalidou Ba, Mouhamed Ndoye, Omar Ibn Khatab Cisse, Nicolas Cyrille Ayessou, Mady Cisse
KEYWORDS:
Activated Carbon, Adansonia digitata L., Baobab Fruit, Baobab Oil, Stability
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering,
Vol.12 No.1,
January
30,
2024
ABSTRACT: The baobab, Adansonia digitata L., plays an important role in the economy of local populations. Nowadays, baobab seed oil is highly prized for its many cosmetic and therapeutic applications, and for its composition of unsaturated fatty acids, sterols, and tocopherols. However, it undergoes numerous reactions during production, processing, transport, and storage, leading to undesirable products that make it unstable. The aim of this study was to provide local processors with innovative solutions for the treatment of unrefined vegetable oils. To this end, an experimental device for filtering crude oil on activated carbon made from fruit capsules was designed. The results obtained after the treatment show a significant decrease at (p 2/Kg), chlorophyll concentration (1.81 to 0.50 mg/Kg) and primary and secondary oxidation products. According to these results, activated carbon’s adsorptive power eliminates oxidation products and certain pro-oxidants such as chlorophyll, resulting in a cleaner, more stable and better storable oil.