Abstract

This research was aimed to assess the physicochemical properties ofsevenedible oils, i.e., almond oil, castor oil, cooking oil, mustard oil, pumpkin oil,black seed oil and egg oil collected from local market, Mansehra. Theirchemical and physical properties were also compared to the recommendedlevels set as a standard by WHO/FAO to find out whether they are suitableand safe to be used by human beings. Among the chemical characteristics,acid values, saponification values and peroxide values were determinedwhile the physical properties that were studied included density, specificgravity, refractive index, moisture content and viscosity. All these assayswere performed using standardized assays/protocols. From the results, itcan be illustrated that most of the physicochemical parameters are in linewith the standard values as evident from the results.However, some valueshows deviation, for instance, the acid values of all studied oil samplesexcept almond oil, cooking oil and pumpkin oil exceed the recommendedvalue of 0.6. In addition, the saponification value of almond oil and blackseed oil, while peroxide value of pumpkin oil are above the recommendedrange. So, it can be concluded that most of these oils whose studiedparameters are according to permissible limits are safe for humanconsumption.

Keywords: Edibles oils, District Mansehra, Chemical property, Physical property, WHO/FAO standards