Extraction of edible oil from the pulp of Persea americana (Mill) using cold process method

This paper investigated the extraction of edible oil from the pulp of avocado fruit by means of the cold process. Avocado pear fruit was collected washed, peeled, de-stoned, blended, and heated at 60 °C for 90 mins and then malaxed. No chemical solvent was introduced, as the blending of the pulp required only the addition of water. The process involves centrifuging the Avocado pulp via a laboratory centrifuge at 7000 rpm for 15 mins. While the solid pulp remained in the bottom, the liquid (oil-water mixture) floated on top. The mixture was dried for an hour using a heating mantle and then filtered using filter paper to remove the suspended pulp particles. A dark greenish brown oil was thus obtained with a yield of 6.3 %. The physicochemical properties of the oil in terms of acid value, saponification value, ester value, % FFA, % glycerine, specific density and moisture content were found to be 23 mg KOH/g oil, 199.7 mg KOH/g oil, 176.7 mg KOH/g oil, 11.5%, 9.66%, 1.19 g/L and 75%, respectively. This process is devoid of the use of any reagent and hence, is suitable for consumption. The process requires limited labour and low temperatures, thus its nutrients, flavour, and richness are safeguarded and the product retains its healthy properties.