Seed characteristics, oil content and fatty acid composition of moringa (Moringa oleifera Lam.) seeds from three arid land locations in Ecuador

The moringa Moringa oleifera Lam. (M. pterygosperma Gaertn. [Moringaceae]), is native to the northwest of the Indian subcontinent, and can grow naturally in such dry regions as the Thar Desert, in India and Pakistan. Nowadays, it is growing practically all over the world with tropical and subtropical climates. The objective of this study was to determine the influence of arid land's ecosystem on oil content and fatty acid composition of moringa seeds, in three locations -La Rinco, Ospina and Punta Carnero- of Santa Elena Province, Ecuador. Oil yield percentage of seeds from La Rinco were 12% and 3.5% higher than the percentage of seeds from Ospina and Punta Carnero, respectively. Total saturated myristic, palmitic, stearic, arachidic, behenic and lignoceric fatty acids, in the Ospina, La Rinco, and Carnero Beach oil samples were 21.39, 19.20, and 20.01%, respectively. The moringa oils investigated contain high levels of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), palmitoleic, oleic and gadoleic up to 77.17, 79.27, and 77.83%, in Ospina, La Rinco, and Carnero Beach respectively. Oleic (18:1n-9) was the predominant MUFA, accounting for 72.38, 75.46 and 75.52% of the total fatty acids in the Ospina, La Rinco and Carnero Beach oils, respectively. This study indicates that moringa oil has a potential to be produced in the arid lands of the Santa Elena Province, Ecuador.