Yield and Physicochemical Properties of Pili (Canarium ovatum) Pulp Oil

This research investigated the yield and physicochemical properties of pili (Canarium ovatum) pulp oil from Sabah, Malaysia. The oil was obtained through Soxhlet extraction. The oil extraction was performed at 60 °C for 8 h, using petroleum ether as a solvent. Although pili pulp oil has been studied in the Philippines, there are currently no available research reports on pili pulp oil originating from Malaysia. The yield of the extracted oil was 40.97%. The oil was green in colour and existed in liquid form at ambient temperature. The pili pulp oil had an iodine value, refractive index, and cloud point of 84.6 g I₂/100 g, 1.47 and 19 °C, respectively. The carotene content was 158.53 ppm, and was measured through the spectrophotometric method. Gas chromatography combined with flame ionization detection (GC-FID) identified oleic (69.56%) and palmitic (19.80%) acids as the dominant fatty acids. These findings showed that this oil resembles edible, oleic-rich oils. The predominant triacylglycerols in pili pulp oil were triolein (OOO), palmitoyl diolein (POO), dioleoyl linolein (OOL), and dipalmitoyl olein (PPO). The quality indicators of the oil were evaluated, including free fatty acid (0.96 mg/g oil), peroxide (17.45 meq/kg), p-anisidine (14.45 meq/kg), and TOTOX (49.23 meq/kg) values. This study aims to provide basic information aboutf Malaysian pili pulp oil, and an intensive investigation of the functional properties, toxicology, and potential product applications could be conducted in the future.