Physicochemical Properties and Nanomaterial Potential of Traditionally Purified Abrus precatorius (Gunja) Seed Oil

Abstract

Abrus precatorius a herbaceous flowering plant belonging to the Fabaceae (bean) family is extensively utilized in traditional medicine across India and tropical and subtropical regions of Asia, including China, Indonesia, and parts of South Africa. This study focuses on extracting oil using purified (Gunja shodhana) A. precatorius seeds, Eclipta prostrata leaf extract (Karisalankanni keerai), and sesame oil. The formulated oil was analysed for its physical and physicochemical properties. The physical characterization of Abrus seed oil showed a density of 0.88 g/cm³, with a moisture content of 0.41% and a specific gravity of 0.8820. In addition, the ash content was recorded as 0.01%. The physicochemical assessment revealed a free fatty acid content of 2.96%, an iodine value of 58.3 mgI₂/g, and a peroxide value of 4.2 mEq/kg, the acid value was determined to be 5.90 mg KOH/g, while the refractive index measured 1.4620 at 40°C, the saponification value was found to be 221 mg KOH/g, and the total phenolic content was quantified at 1.5 mg GAE/g. These results were compared with values reported for other commercially available oils. The extracted oil was further examined for its total fatty acid profile, and the formulated oil comprises 99.43 g of total fat per 100 g, with Monounsaturated Fatty Acids (MUFA) constituting 42.05%, Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (PUFA) contributed 40.42%, Saturated Fatty Acids (SFA) represented 16.96%, and Trans-Fatty Acids (TF) were detected only in negligible amounts (