The Oil Content of Wild Fruits from Different Plant Species Obtained by Conventional Soxhlet Extraction Technique

Abstract

Oils from wild fruits have gained attention due to the presence of the wide variety of natural bioactive lipid components (essential polyunsaturated fatty acids, phytosterols, lipid-soluble vitamins), which have positive effects on human health. The present study describes the extraction of oils from fruits of different plant species, Sambucus nigra, Prunus spinosa, Sorbus aucuparia and Rosa canina, using the conventional Soxhlet extraction technique with petroleum ether. Before the extraction, mechanical processing of fruit samples (exposure to elevated pressure and temperature) was performed. The yield of oil (%) was expressed as mass of obtained oil per mass of dry plant material (w/w). Moisture content of fruit samples was also determined. Wild fruits showed different moisture contents, ranging from 6.53 to 71.52 g/100 g of fresh weight, in R. canina and S. aucuparia fruits, respectively. S. nigra and P. spinosa fruits revealed similar moisture contents, 68.48 g/100 g and 68.89 g/100 g of fresh weight, respectively. Oil yields of the investigated fruit samples showed statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) and ranged from 0.38 to 3.22% (w/w) in the R. canina and P. spinosa fruits, respectively. Dry fruits of S. nigra had 2.55% (w/w) of oil, while the oil content in S. aucuparia fruits was 0.68% (w/w). The findings obtained from this study might be useful from the aspect of potential utilization of these wild fruits, in particular fruits of P. spinosa and S. nigra, as raw materials for the extraction of valuable oil for the application in food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industry.