- SpinCold
Pongamia oil is extracted from the seeds by expeller pressing, cold pressing, or solvent extraction. The oil is yellowish-orange to brown in color. It is toxic and will induce nausea and vomiting if eaten, but it is used in many traditional remedies. It has a high content of triglycerides, and its disagreeable taste and odor are due to bitter flavonoid constituents including karanjin, pongamol, tannin and karanjachromene.
Millettia pinnata has a number of different varieties but little research has been published on the differences between them. This combined with variances in soil and weather can change the specific composition of Pongamia oil. Typically Pongamia oil is composed of the following fatty acids
Fatty acid |
Nomenclature |
Percentage |
Palmitic |
C16:0 |
3.7% – 7.9% |
Stearic |
C18:0 |
2.4% – 8.9% |
Oleic |
C18:1 |
44.5% – 71.3% |
Linoleic |
C18:2 |
10.8% – 18.3% |
Linolenic |
C18:3 |
2.6% |
Arachidic |
C20:0 |
2.2% – 4.7% |
Eicosenoic |
C20:1 |
9.5% – 12.4% |
Behenic |
C22:0 |
4.2% – 5.3% |
Lignoceric |
C24:0 |
1.1% – 3.5% |
The physical properties of crude Pongamia oil are as follows
Property |
Unit |
Value |
Acid value |
mg KOH/g |
4.0 - 12 |
Calorific value |
kcal/kg |
8742 |
Cetane number |
42 |
|
Density |
g/cm3 |
0.924 |
Iodine value |
g/100 g |
86.5 - 87 |
Saponification value |
mg KOH/g |
184 - 187 |
Specific gravity |
0.925 |
|
Unsaponifiable matter |
% w/w |
2.6 - 2.9 |
Viscosity |
mm2/sec |
40.2 |
Boiling point |
°C |
316 |
Cloud point |
°C |
3.5 |
Fire Point |
°C |
230 |
Flash point |
°C |
225 |
Pour point |
°C |
-3.0 |