ABSTRACT

With the rising demand for vegetable oils, research has focused on alternative sources to alleviate the economic strain caused by importing these oils. This study evaluated the tocopherol and mineral composition of African oil bean seed oil blended with sesame seed oil. African oil bean seeds and sesame seeds were procured, and processed into powder for oil extraction. The oil yield was determined. African oil bean seed oil and sesame seed oil were assessed in different proportions: l 00:0, 0: l 00, 90: 10, 80.20, 70:30, 60:40, 50:50, while Commercial oil (soybean oil) was used as the reference sample. Data obtained from analytical procedures were subjected to one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) at 95 % confidence interval. The oils were assessed for their tocopherol composition and mineral content. The percentage oil yield for African oil bean seed oil was 47.95 % while the percentage oil yield for sesame seed oil was 50.65 %. The oil samples were analyzed for their tocopherol composition and mineral content using standard methods. Tocopherol composition ranged from 0.07 to 28.5 mg/100 g for alpha tocopherol, 2.04-5.63 mg/l00 g for beta tocopherol, 0.00--31.90 mg/100 g for gamma tocopherol, and 0.00-6.95 mg/100 g for delta tocopherol. Total tocopherol content varied from 34.19 to 42.03 mg/ l 00 g across samples. Mineral composition ranged from 0. 75 to 4.83 mg/100 g for magnesium, 3.33-8.16 mg/l00 g for calcium. 0.22-1.70 mg/JOO g for iron, 0.01-1.42 mg/100 g for manganese, and 0.06-1.62 mg/100 g for copper across samples. African oil bean seed oil had the best mineral content while sesame seed oil had the highest tocopherol composition. The findings of this study has shown that blending ratios has effect on both mineral and tocopherol composition in these oils as blends with higher proportions of sesame seed oil demonstrated increased gamma tocopherol and total tocopherol values. This study could benefit the food industry, particularly those involved in the production and processing of edible oils. It could also be of interest to consumers who are looking for oils with specific nutritional profiles. Overall. this research has the potential to contribute to the development of new and improved edible oils that meet the nutritional needs of consumers