FATTY ACIDS, MINERAL COMPOSITION AND PHYSICO-CHEMICAL PARAMETERS OF IMBRASIA OYEMENSIS LARVAE OIL WITH UNUSUAL ARACHIDONIC ACID CONTENT

Abstract

Imbrasia oyemensis larva is a widely prized and consumed caterpillar in Côte d’Ivoire. The oil extracted from this insect was analyzed for physicochemical properties, mineral composition and fatty acid constituents using standard methods. The analysis revealed a refractive index of 1.4675 ± 0.0002, specific gravity of 0.942 ± 0.02, moisture and volatile matter of 7.51 ± 0.1, acid value of 2.81 ± 0.02, iodine value of 105.19 ± 1.62, saponification value of 184.20 ± 1.62, unsaponifiable matter of
45.0 ± 1 and free fatty acid of 1.49 ± 0.37 (% oleic acid). This oil was found to be a very rich source of mineral  elements  with  a  100  g  dry  sample  containing  phosphorus  (26.82  g), potassium  (14.97  g), magnesium (5.63 g), calcium (5.39 g), zinc (0.63 g) and iron (0.31 g). As regards fatty acids profile, the major unsaturated fatty acids of Imbrasia oyemensis oil were linolenic (26.22 ± 0.03 %), linoleic (11.33 ± 0.02 %) and arachidonic (10.26 ± 0.04 %), while the major saturated fatty acids were stearic (20.92 ± 0.03 %) and palmitic (18.65 ± 0.05 %). The unsaturated fatty acids accounted for 55.7 % of the  total  fatty  acids,  whereas  the  saturated  fatty  acids constituted  44.3  %  of  the  fatty  acids.  These values when compared with those observed in oils which have beenconsidered to be of high quality, suggest  that  Imbrasia  oyemensis  oil  has  potentials  that  could  be  exploited  by  the  nutritional and pharmaceutical companies.