Fatty acid composition and physicochemical properties of ostrich fat extracted by supercritical fluid extraction

The objective of this study was to determine the fatty acid composition and physicochemical properties of ostrich fat obtained by supercritical fluid extraction. The fatty acid composition was analysed by GC-MS and the result revealed that ostrich fat contained 9-octadecenoic acid (40.7 ± 0.3%), hexadecanoic acid (32.5 ± 0.3%), octadecanoic acid (7.43 ± 0.05%), 9, 12-octadecadience acid (7.38 ± 0.02%) and 9-hexadecenoic acid (7.13 ± 0.15%) as the major components. Furthermore, seven physicochemical indexes were assessed according to Chinese Pharmacopeia (2005) and relevant regulations as follows: relative density (0.92 ± 0.02%), melting point (34.7 ± 0.4°C), acid value (0.84 ± 0.02 mg KOH/g), peroxide value (0.10 ± 0.01 g/100 g), saponification value (226 ± 3 mg KOH/g), ester value (225 ± 3 mg KOH/g) and iodine value (74.6 ± 0.8 g I/100 g). It can be inferred from the basic information that ostrich fat is a promising raw material for the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries. Practical applications: With the increasing attention being paid to ostrich fat, it is necessary to elucidate the fatty acid composition and physicochemical properties of this natural product. This basic information not only reveals the essential characteristics of ostrich fat, but also provides the data support for the quality evaluation and efficacy research.