Investigating Fatty Acids, Triglycerides and Physicochemical Characteristics of Ostrich Oil for Human Nutrition

Background and Objectives:Ostrich oil is a valuable source for use as edible oil in the food industry and production of cosmetic products due to its high nutrients and contents of essential fatty acids.However, the quality of ostrich oil is important for use in products containing this oil. Materials and Methods:In methods of this study, ostrich oil in liquid and solid phases was first extracted from tallow by wet melting.Then, their physicochemical characteristics including iodine number, moisture, hexane residue, peroxide value, volatile matter, saponification number, un-saponifiable matter, stability, acidity, melting point, smoke point, refractive index, specific weight, quantity of -tocopherol (vitamin E) were assessed.In addition, fatty acid composition and triglyceride content were assessed.All experiments in this study were carried out in triplicate based on valid methods.The means were compared with independent sample T test (P 0.05). Results:Results of peroxide value and free fatty acid tests showed efficiency of the fat extraction method.Results also showed that this oil contained high quantities of -tocopherol that can protect the oil against oxidation and its most important fatty acid is oleic acid (36.99 mg ml -1 in liquid oil and 37.40 mg g -1 in solid oil. Conclusions:Based on the findings of this study, ostrich oil with high contents of unsaturated fatty acids, acidity, melting point and smoke point, makes it appropriate for introduction and use in the food industry (production of frying products due to its appropriate smoke point and high-fat products due to its high antioxidant content).Therefore, use and consumption of this oil as edible human oil is recommended.