Chemical composition and charcterization of oil and defatted cake of apricot kernels

The chemical composition of apricot kernel oil and its defatted cake meal were chacterized for their physicochemical properties. Also the function properties of defatted apricot kernel cake (DAKC) were also studied. The proximate composition of whole kernel on dry bases were 5.50, 27.83, 50.30, 2.20, 11.32 and 3.16% for moisture content, crud protein, fat, ash, total sugars and crude fibers, respectively. The kernels contained 210, 400, 280, 2.80 mg/ 100g for elements of potassium, magnesium, phosphate and manganese, respectively. The characteristics of apricot kernel oil were 0.916g/ cm3, 1.4699 and 2.00 for specific gravity, RI and colour (at 35 yellow), respectively. While the values of acid, peroxide, iodine number and smoke point (°C) were 0.14, 0.22, 108.00 and 240, respectively. The major fatty acid were oleic (66.25 and linoleic (25.57).The defatted apricot kernels cake were free from HCN and contained 16 amino acids, since the major amino acids were glutamic (20.75%), aspartic (14.11 %) and glycine (11.86%). Results of functional properties of defatted apricot kernel meal (DAKC) indicated that, the protein solubility index (PSI) was increased versus the increasing of pH values towards alkaline media and the higher value of Emulsion capacity (EC) was observed at pH 9.0 while, the higher Emulsion Stability (ES) in comparing with percentage of aqueous phase separated after 48hr was at pH 8.0 and the Foam Stability (FS) was 590, 100 and 30 at values of pH 2.0, 3.0, and 4.0, respectively, also, each 1.0g of defatted apricot kernel flour was absorbed 3.24g water and 3.10g corn oil. On the other hand, the defatted apricot kernel cake (DAKC) was contained 625.37mg/ 100g total phenolics, Whereas, 500, 1000ppm phenolic compounds of apricot meal as antioxidant was more effective for loweringthe development of peroxide value for corn oil than using butylated hydroxyl toluene BHT. Therefore it can recommended with adding natural DAKC phenolic compounds with oil as antioxidant because it was more healthy useful and considered as alteration of synthetic antioxidants.