Effects Of Palm Fruit Maturity On Crude Palm Oil Yield And Oxidative Quality Stability Dynamics
Ademola Bolanle Raheem
Chemical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, University of Port-Harcourt, P.M.B. 5323, Choba, Port-Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria.
Ifeanyichukwu Edeh
Chemical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, University of Port-Harcourt, P.M.B. 5323, Choba, Port-Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria.
Keywords: crude palm oil, fruit maturity, oxidative stability, physicochemical properties, FTIR spectroscopy, oil yield
Abstract
Crude palm oil quality and yield depend strongly on the maturity stage of oil palm fruits at harvest. This study examined how unripe, semi-ripe, and ripe palm fruits affect oil yield, physicochemical properties, and oxidative stability. The aim was to identify the maturity stage that gives good oil yield and acceptable quality for food and industrial use. Oil was extracted using Soxhlet extraction with hexane. The extracted oil was analysed for percentage yield, free fatty acid (FFA), saponification value (SV), iodine value (IV), peroxide value (PV), and moisture content. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was also used to identify functional groups in the oil. Results showed that oil yield increased with fruit maturity. Unripe fruits gave 14.2% oil yield, semi-ripe fruits gave 19.6%, and ripe fruits gave 23.8%. However, oil quality changed with maturity. Unripe oil had the highest iodine value (73 g I2/100 g), which indicates high unsaturation and low stability. Ripe oil had the highest free fatty acid (9.52%) and peroxide value (9.73 meq/kg), showing greater oil degradation. Semi-ripe oil showed moderate values for all parameters. It had balanced iodine value (60 g I2/100 g), acceptable peroxide value (9.40 meq/kg), and lower moisture compared to unripe oil. FTIR results confirmed that unsaturation decreased as fruit maturity increased. This agrees with the iodine value results and shows changes in oil composition during ripening. The study shows that fruit maturity affects both oil yield and quality. Semi-ripe fruits provide a good balance between oil yield and stability. They are suitable for edible and industrial applications. These findings can help improve harvesting practices, processing efficiency, and crude palm oil quality in Nigeria.