Oxidative stability of Moringa oleifera seed oil: Effect of degumming and deodorization on tocopherol retention

Moringa oleifera seed oil (MSO) from Lombok was extracted by n-hexane and evaluated after refining by several degumming methods to understand the impact of individual tocopherol retention and compared to extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) and high oleic palm oil (HOPO). MSO achieved an Oxidative Stability Index (15.8 h); EVOO (11.7 h) HOPO (8.83 h), based on two factors; the degree of unsaturation and total tocopherols, which did not accurately correlate with oxidation stability. The presence of tocopherol type affected the efficiency of heat stability in MSO, which is caused by a significant level of delta-tocopherol (13.5 ppm), which was retained, through effective water degumming. Whereas, delta-tocopherol in EVOO was not detected. This strongly suggests delta-tocopherol contributes effectively against heat oxidation and thereby improved the overall stability of MSO. Novelty impact statement Several novelties are identified in this work, which at the time, could not be found within the literature: first, the type of phosphatide in Moringa Oleifera is in hydratable form. Hence, secondly, we propose the appropriate degumming method for Moringa Oleifera seed oil is by water degumming. And third, the particular tocopherol type most impacting the oxidative stability performance of Moringa Oleifera was identified as delta-tocopherol.