Physicochemical Characteristics of the Oils Extracted from Some Nigerian Plant Foods - A Review

摘要: Fats and oils are non-volatile substances insoluble in water but soluble organic solvent. They constitute along with protein carbohydrates, the major food stuffs widely distributed nature. Oil serves as a good source of protein, lipid fatty acids for human nutrition including repair worn-out tissues, new cells formation well useful energy. Oilseeds those seeds that contain considerably large amounts oil. can be extracted from oilseed by using traditional methods extraction (on very small scale), mechanical expression (hydraulic screw presses) which manual, semi-automated or automated, solvent (e.g. hexane, fluid carbon dioxide) combination two these methods. Physicochemical parameters some Nigerian plant foods standard analytical techniques were reviewed. The physicochemical properties reviewed  were found to at range concentrations follows: Saponification value (SV): 5.58 - 249.90 mgKOH/g, peroxide (PV): 0.45 290.00 mEq O 2 /kg sample, acid (AV): 0.34 68.88 mg KOH/g, iodine (IV): 2.65 153.00 g I /100g density (Ds): 0.9031 0.9208 g/cm 3 , viscosity (Vs): 0.43 302.39 mm /sec, specific gravity (SG): 0.830 – 1.710, refractive index (RI): 0.147 1.792, free (FFA): 0.14 34.65 % oleic acid, ester (EV): 0.54 241.04 mgKOH/g heat combustion (HC): 8904.25 11303.35 gcal/g. result work confirms seed quality find application either industry additives industrial purposes such cosmetics, soaps, paint even energy generation. Keywords: parameters, oils, Nigeria.