Abstract

Oil Content Variation and Physico-Chemical Properties of Jatropha Curcus Seed Oil Collected from Kumaun Region of Uttarakhand, India

Author(s): Archana Joshi, P. K. Singhal and R. K. Bachheti

Jatropha curcas L. is considered to have originated in Latin America, and is presently grown throughout the arid and semi-arid tropical and subtropical regions of the world. To study the oil content variation and physico-chemical properties of Jatropha curcus seed were collected from various districts of Kumaun. The oil contents of the seeds range from 30-44.4%. The maximum oil content was 44.4% found in seeds collected from Almora, while minimum was 30.0% in the seeds collected from Udham Singh (US) Nagar. The physico-chemical properties of the oil such as acid value, iodine value and saponification value are in the range of 5.75 to 15.53, 90.50-113.63 and 175.20-196.67, respectively. Microclimatic data of different district was also estimated which shows that soil pH ranges from 6.5-7.4, soil temperature vary from 22.2-27.5 and soil moisture vary from 21.3-33.0%. The characteristics of the seed oils studied compared favorably with other research studies