Kosi Mawuéna Novidzro^{1, 2,}, Yaovi Raoul Amouzouvi^{1, 2}, Mamatchi Melila^{1, 3}, Kossi Honoré Koumaglo¹

Many medicinal plants are veritable reservoirs of molecules that are highly sought after due to their multiple virtues in various fields of application, such as food, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and bioenergy. This is the case with Ipomea muricata, a species of Togolese flora that is not well known for its therapeutic properties. The main goal of this study is to promote the use of I. muricata seed oil in food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, or bioenergy. After extracting the oil from the kernels of this plant's seeds using the Soxhlet method, its physicochemical characteristics and mineral content were determined in accordance with AFNOR and Codex Alimentarius standards. The chemical profile of the fatty acids in the oil was established by GC-MS analysis. The oil was converted into biodiesel by transesterification process. The transesterification reaction was catalyzed in a homogeneous phase using KOH as a basic catalyst. The results revealed that the oil content in the kernel was approximately 13.16 ± 0.87%. The physicochemical parameters of the extracted oil are: refractive index (1.46153 ± 0.00100); water and volatile matter content (12.162 ± 5.838%); acid value: (8.987 ± 0.202 mg KOH/g); saponification value (168.250 ± 4.220 mg KOH/g); ester index (159.26 ± 4.018 mg KOH/g); iodine index (38.065 ± 0.005 g I₂/100 g); peroxide index (7.320 ± 0.001 µg O₂/g); relative density at 29°C (90.730 ± 0.001); volumic density at 29°C (0.9074 ± 0.0010 g/L, and calorific value (41.040 ± 0.162 MJ/kg). The results also showed that the oil is a significant source of: sodium (56.67 mg/L), iron (16.67 mg/L), potassium (11.33 mg/L), calcium (4.33 mg/L), and manganese (1.83 mg/L). The biodiesel produced is characterized by a lower refractive index and density, compared to the crude vegetable oil used in its production. Generally, the results confirmed that I. muricata seed oil owns promising characteristics for its use in food, cosmetics, or bioenergy. However, apart from the kernel, the other parts of the seed could also contain biomolecules of therapeutic interest that should be explored to optimize the value of this seed.

Ipomea muricata, Soxhlet extraction, physicochemical parameters, mineral content, fatty acid profile, biodiesel production