Res. Agr. Eng., 2015, 61(3):99-105 | DOI: 10.17221/10/2014-RAE

Analysis of physical, mechanical and chemical properties of seeds and kernels of Jatropha curcasOriginal Paper

M. Müller¹, Š. Horníčková², P. Hrabě¹, J. Mařík³

¹ Department of Material Science and Manufacturing Technology, Faculty of Engineering, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic

² Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic

³ Department for Quality and Dependability of Machines, Faculty of Engineering, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic

The research was performed to examine the physical, mechanical and chemical properties of seeds and kernels of Jatropha curcas. The test parameters were the dimensions of the seeds and kernels, required energy for oil extraction, determination of fatty acids in the oil by gas chromatography method, determination of the iodine value, determination of the acid value, determination of total polyphenols by the Folin & Ciocault reagent and determination of tocopherols and tocotrienols (vitamin E) by High-performance liquid chromatography. It was ascertained that the size of the seed and kernel varies considerably. Pressing of whole seeds needs more energy (50%) than pressing of kernels. From a chemical point of view it seems to be very appropriate for a production of biofuels. Jatropha curcas contains more polyphenols and vitamin E, which act as antioxidants, than the rape. Due to the low content of unsaturated fatty acids it is chemically suitable to replace the rape-seed oil with Jatropha curcas oil.

Keywords: cake; chemical analysis; pressing

Published: September 30, 2015  Show citation