Solvent extraction of the oils of rubber, melon, pumpkin and oilbean seeds

Solvents of differing dielectric constant were used to extract oils from the seeds of: rubber [Hevea brasiliensis (Kunth) Muell. Arg.], melon [Colocynthis vulgaris Schrad], fluted pumpkin [Telfairia occidentalis Hook f.] and oilbean [Pentaclethra macrophylla Benth]. The aim was to examine the effect of solvent polarity on oil yield and oil properties. The oils were extracted under Soxhlet conditions with the following solvents: petroleum benzene (60–80°C), cyclohexane, isopropyl ether, ethyl acetate, tetrahydrofuran, propan‐2‐ol and acetone. The oils were characterized by acid number, iodine value and color intensity determinations. The oil yields of each seed in different solvents ranged as follows: 58.0–64.4% (pumpkin), 56.1–59.1% (melon), 40.6–48.8% (rubber) and 35.4–43.3% (oilbean). The equilibrium extracting capacity of each solvent was found to depend on two factors, namely, the nature of the oil and the polarity of the solvent. Both factors were found to determine the acid number, iodine value and color intensity of each oil.