Warra, AA, Wawata, IG, Umar, RA and Gunu, SY
Keywords: Jatropha oil, extraction, saponification, physicochemical analysis.
Abstract: In search of oils that can replace edible oils used for soap making, Jatropha curcas L. seed oil was exploited. The lipid was extracted using n- hexane and analyzed for chemical properties. The parameters analyzed were Acid value, (1.20 ± 0.065mgKOH/g) Iodine value, (73.46 ± 5.00g I2/100g) and saponification value (122.49 ± 2.59mgKOH/g). The percentage oil yield was 48. The lipid was used to prepare soap. The pH of the soap was 9.11, comparably within the higher pH range of 9-11 set by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), mostly due to incomplete alkali hydrolysis resulting from the saponification process. The foam height of the soap was 5.4 cm and was higher than that of all other soap solutions analyzed. The soap forms a clear solution and was slightly soluble in distilled water.
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