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Subject: Chemistry × Author: Dusyant × Start date: 2004 ×
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Chemical composition of seeds of tumba (Citrullus colocynthis L.)
    (CCSHAU, 2009) Dusyant; M. Khabiruddin
    Citrullus colocynthis (Tumba) a member of the cucurbitaceae family consists of about 120 genera and 825 species is xerophytic, highly aridity tolerant perennial herb. It grows naturally in abundance in arid zone of Rajasthan. The production of tumba was found to be 5.6 lac quintals in 4 western districts of Rajasthan during famine. The gourds are eaten after pickling and are also used as vegetable after removing their rind. In the traditional medicine, this plant is used to treat constipation, oedema, bacterial infection, cancer and diabetes. It is also given in cough and asthma in children. In industry the oil is used for soap making, paints and blackening of hair. The meal left after extraction of oil is a good source of protein which is rich in methionine and cysteine. In the present investigation the powdered seed kernel was extracted with petroleum ether (60-800C) for its oil content. The oil was studied for its physical and chemical characteristics as well as for fatty acid composition. The low peroxide value (0.50%) and low free fatty acid content (3.02 meq/kg of the oil) indicated high stability of the oil, low level of oxidative and lipolytic activities. The lower content of saturated fatty acid and higher amount of oleic and linoleic acid content (17.1% and 46.4% respectively) showed its potentiality for edible purpose. It was concluded that tumba seed oil may be safely used for edible purpose and the seed cake along with its good nutraceutical value can be used for food and feed purposes. The defatted seed cake was extracted with hot acetone and two flavones, namely quercetin and querectin-3-O--L-rhamnopyranoside was identified on the basis of UV-VIS spectral shift studies, 1HNMR and other properties.