Nutritive Value of African Mahogany (Khaya senegalensis (Desr.) A. Juss.) Seed Oil

Little is known about the nutritional composition and value of Khaya senegalensis (Desr.) A. Juss. seed oil. This study aims to elucidate the nutritional composition and oil content of K. senegalensis seeds using standard procedures. Results implicate the presence of diverse fatty acids in K. senegalensis seed oil, including oleic acid (57.98%), linoleic acid (21.55%), linolenic acid (6.32%), palmitic acid (6.50%), erucic acid (2.65%), and stearic acid (2.53%). The percentage of myristic acid palmitoleic acid, margaric acid, arachidic acid, arachidonic acid, behenic acid, and lignoceric acid ranged from 0.04% to 0.73%, respectively. The presence of vitamins in the oil of K. senegalensis was confirmed and includes vitamin A (3.57 × 10–5 g/100 g), vitamin D (1.34 × 10–5 g/100 g), vitamin E (15.01 g/100 g), and vitamin K (6.91 × 10–2 g/100 g). The mineral composition analysis of K. senegalensis seed oil revealed the presence of manganese (0.0003 ppm), copper (0.0003 ppm), magnesium (0.0004 ppm), sodium (0.0003 ppm), calcium (0.0004 ppm), potassium (0.0002 ppm), and iron (0.0005 ppm). Some phytosterols were also observed to occur in high concentrations, including sitosterol (394.47 mg/100 g), campesterol (144.13 mg/100 g), savensterol (11.98 mg/100 g), and stigmasterol (4.29 mg/100 g). In contrast, ergosterol, cholestenol, and cholesterol were present in low amounts and ranged from 1.17 × 10–6 to 9.74 × 10–5 mg/100 g. The presence of these essential compounds suggests that K. senegalensis seed oil has high nutritional value, which may be exploited to enhance nutritional security and human well-being.