ABSTRACT

Almonds (Prunus dulcis), commonly referred to as sweet almonds, belong to the Rosaceae family and are widely known for their nutritional value and health advantages. The aim of this study is to extract and characterize almonds and evaluate its fat-soluble vitamin profile.The dried almond seeds were ground, and oil extraction was carried out using hexane as a solvent through Soxhlet extraction, following standard procedures. The extracted oil was then analyzed for its physicochemical properties and vitamin composition. The extracted almond oil was golden-yellow in appearance with a pleasant odour and liquid at room temperature. Characterization of the oil revealed a low saponification value (101.82 mg/KOH/g), a high iodine value (86.93 mg I^₂/100), a high peroxide value (25.54 Meq/kg), and a slightly high specific gravity (0.917). Fourier transform infra-red (FTIR) spectroscopy revealed presence of major functional groups in the almond oil, notably hydroxyl (-OH) groups (3473.9 cm⁻¹),3008.8 cm⁻¹ C-H stretching in alkenes, Methylene >CH₂ (2922.2 cm⁻¹), Methylene >CH-(2855.1 cm⁻¹), Alkyne C=C (2113.4 cm⁻¹), Carbonyl compound (1744.4 cm⁻¹), Carbonate ion (1461.1 cm⁻¹), nitrate ion (1379.1 cm⁻¹), C-N amine, and amino compound (1159.5 cm⁻¹). The fat-soluble vitamins revealed vitamin A (2.82±0.012 UI), vitamin D (11.26±0.153 mg/100 g), vitamin E (610.18±0.102 mg/100 g), and vitamin K (4.21±0.00 mg/100 g). This research work revealed important compounds and favourable physio-chemical properties of the oil extracted from Prunus dulcis (almond) seeds, which has been found to be suitable for industrial purposes and may be taken advantage of in the formulation of various cosmetic and therapeutic products.