Nutritional quality of detoxified karanja (Pongamia glabra) oil

Abstract

Fatty acid composition of crude karanja (Pongamia glabra) oil resembles groundnut oil but it contains some toxic phenolic compounds, like karanjin and pongamol. Removal of these phenolic compounds prior to edible use is therefore important. Nutritional quality of the refined karanja oil (detoxified by isopropanol extraction, bleaching and deodorization) has been investigated in rats by feeding this oil where groundnut oil has been used as control. These two oils were fed at a 20% level in each group in an 18% protein and 55% starch diet for six weeks. The refined karanja oil was observed to be utilized in an identical manner to that of groundnut oil as revealed by growth of rats, food efficiency ratio and the lipid profile of serum and liver tissues.