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Extraction Of Neem Seed Oil
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CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Neem oil is a vegetable oil pressed from
the fruits and seeds of the neem (Azadirachta indica) an evergreen tree
which is endemic to the Indian subcontinent and has been introduced to
many other areas in the tropics. It is the most important of the
commercial available products of neem for organic farming and medicines.
Neem
oil varies in colour; it can be golden yellow, yellowish brown, reddish
brown, dark brown, greenish brown, or bright red. It has a rather
strong odour that is said to combine the odours of peanut and garlic. It
is composed mainly of triglycerides and contains many triterpenoid
compounds, which are responsible for the bitter taste. It is hydrophobic
in nature; in order to emulsify it in water for application purposes,
it must be formulated with appropriate surfactants.
Neem oil is not
used for cooking purposes. In India, it is used for preparing cosmetics
(soap, hair products, body hygiene creams, hand creams) and in
Ayurvedic, Unani and folklore traditional medicine, in the treatment of a
wide range of afflictions. The most frequently reported indications in
ancient Ayurvedic writings are skin diseases, inflammations and fevers,
and more recently rheumatic disorders, insect repellent and insecticide
effects.
Neem (Azadirachta indica A, Juss) is one of the very few
trees known in the Indian subcontinent. This tree is belonged to
Meliceae family, and grows rapidly in the tropic and semi-tropic
climate. It is also observed that this tree could survive in very dry
and arid conditions.
Neem tree is an evergreen tree, but it may
become leafless for a short period in certain conditions. Neem tree also
found in Indonesia in several areas such as Bali, Lombok, West Java,
East Java (Situbondo, Ngawi), Central Java, and Nusa Tenggara Barat. All
parts of Neem plant such as leaves, bark, Flower, fruit, seed and root
have advantages in medical treatment and industrial products. Its leaves
can be used as drug for diabetes, eczema and reduce fever. Barks of
Neem can be used to make toothbrush. Neem roots has an ability to heal
diseases and against insects (Khraisha, 2000) however, this tree is to
very popular in Indonesia because it is only used as canopy tree. Neem
seed is a part of “Neem tree which has high concentration of oil. Neem
oil is widely used as insecticides, lubricant, drugs for variety of
diseases such as diabetes and tuberculosis (Johnson, 1996). This oil
could also prolong leather goods when it is applied on them.
There
are several methods to obtain Neem oil from the seeds like mechanical
pressing, supercritical fluid extraction, and solvent extraction.
Mechanical extraction is the most widely used method to extract Neem oil
from “Neem seed. However, the oil produced with this method usually
has a low price, since it turbid and contains a significant amount of
water and metals contents. Extraction using supercritical fluid, the oil
produced has very high purity; however the operating and investment
cost is high. Extraction using solvent has several advantages. It gives
higher yield and less turbid oil than mechanical extraction, and
relative low operating cost compared with supercritical fluid
extraction.
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ABSRACT - [ Total Page(s): 1 ]Extraction of neem seed oil was carried out using solvent extraction (n-hexane). 200g of neem seed yield 40ml of oil which is 80% yield. The neem oil is dark brown in colour, it has a strong odour that is said to combine the odours of palm kernel and garlic. The extraction of neem seed oil occurred in batches using solvent (n-hexane) also soxhlet extractor was used. The sample was ground and 200g was weighed out and soaked with 1000ml of n-hexane for 24 hours. With the help of butchner funnel an ... Continue reading---
