Biochemical Composition of Carapa procera seed Oil Harvested in Casamance, Southern Senegal

Djibril Diedhiou^{1, 2,} , Mamadou Faye^{3, 4}, Moussa Bagha Diedhiou³, Adama Diop³, Laure Candy⁴ and Virginie Buthod-Cuam⁴

¹UFR Sciences Fondamentales et de l’Ingénieur, Université du Sine Saloum El Hadji Ibrahima Niass (USSEIN) - BP 55 Kaolack, Sénégal

²Laboratoire Eau, Énergie, Environnement et Procédés Industriels (LE3PI), ESP, UCAD, BP 5085 Dakar-Fann, Sénégal;Laboratoire de Chimie Agro-Industrielle (LCA), ENSIACET, INP de Toulouse, Allée Émile Monso - BP 44362 -31030 Toulouse Cedex 4, France

³Laboratoire Eau, Énergie, Environnement et Procédés Industriels (LE3PI), ESP, UCAD, BP 5085 Dakar-Fann, Sénégal

⁴Laboratoire de Chimie Agro-Industrielle (LCA), ENSIACET, INP de Toulouse, Allée Émile Monso - BP 44362 -31030 Toulouse Cedex 4, France

Cite this paper:
Djibril Diedhiou, Mamadou Faye, Moussa Bagha Diedhiou, Adama Diop, Laure Candy and Virginie Buthod-Cuam. Biochemical Composition of Carapa procera seed Oil Harvested in Casamance, Southern Senegal. World Journal of Analytical Chemistry. 2026; 11(1):20-26. doi: 10.12691/wjac-11-1-3

Abstract

This study focuses on characterizing the biochemical composition of Carapa procera seeds oil harvested in Casamance. The kernel accounts for 71.23% of the seed, constituting the main fraction from which the oil is extracted. Analysis of the lipid profile reveals that the oil is dominated by oleic acid (45.7%), palmitic acid (32.75%), and linoleic acid (13.02%). This oil is composed of 97.22% triglycerides, distributed mainly among T52 (PLS) triglycerides (nearly 46%), T54 (LPO+LSLl) (about 30.5%), and T50 (OPPl+OSM) (nearly 20%), with minor fractions of T56 (OSA+OSG) (2.57%) and T48 (OPM) and T58 (OSB) (less than 1% each). The diglyceride content (C16 and C18) is 2.07%. The oil also has a phytosterol content of 9.09 g/kg, largely dominated by β-sitosterol (78%) and campesterol (16.17%), as well as a tocopherol content of 2.59 mg/kg, consisting mainly of γ-tocotrienol (nearly 49%), followed by α-tocotrienol (17.2%), α-tocopherol (15.73%), and δ-tocotrienol (12.72%). These results highlight an oil with a balanced lipid profile that is rich in minor bioactive compounds, particularly tocotrienols, reinforcing its potential value for cosmetic, nutraceutical, and pharmaceutical applications.

Keywords:
Biochemical composition Carapa procera seeds oil Casamance Senegal

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