Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Activities of Palm Kernel Oils Extracted from Varieties Dura and Tenera of Oil Palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) and the Relationship to Their Chemical Composition

Abstract

The investigation of the antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of palm kernel oils extracted from varieties Dura (oil D) and Tenera (oil T) of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) and the relationship to their chemical composition were carried out in this study. The results obtained show that oil D had the greatest antimicrobial activity. The analysis of gas chromatographic coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS) showed that this oil D contained in addition to the lauric acid, the undecylenic acid which both possess antimicrobial activity. This undecylenic acid was not identified in oil T. The 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay and the Fe³⁺ reduction test (FRAP) used to evaluate the antioxidant activity of the palm kernel oils had showed that oil T had the greatest antioxidant activity with a concentration inhibiting 50% of the reaction (IC50%) of 750 mg/L. It was also noted that, this oil T had also the highest contents in polyphenols, α-tocopherol and sterols with predominance of β-sitosterol. Moreover, the β-sitosterol is known to possess a regulatory role of the immune system.

The findings of this study provide thus, useful information which may help customers to make the best choice in the consumption of these oils.