Extraction and Characterization of Oil from Moringa oleifera Using Supercritical CO2 and Traditional Solvents

The present work presents a first characterization of the oil from the Moringa (Moringa oleifera) kernel as a potential candidate for biodiesel production. Moringa is an indigenous tree in the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, where there is a nascent biodiesel industry. Several extraction methods are compared in terms of the extraction yields, including solvent extraction (n-hexane and ethanol), and supercritical extraction (Sc-CO2). The results are also compared against previ-ously reported data. For supercritical extraction pressures of 200 to 400 bar and temperatures of 40˚C and 60˚C were tested. Gas Chromatography analysis reveals that the main fatty acids in Moringa oil are oleic acid (69%), palmitic acid (10%) and stearic acid (8%)