.

Potentials of oilseeds for commercial application is based on the knowledge of their nutritional composition and oil
characterization. The proximate composition and oil characteristics of two selected seeds were determined using standard
methods. The whole seeds were sorted, de-shelled, dried, milled, sieved and defatted using n – hexane. The proximate
composition of Marble vine (Dioclea reflexa) and Calabash nutmeg (Monodora myristica) showed that the seeds contained
total ash 2.51% and 3.51%; moisture, 7.2% and 9.4 %; crude fibre, 2.0% and 12.06 %; crude fat, 7.46% and 38.5%;
crude protein 13.00% and 23.21%; carbohydrate 28.02% and 54.31% and energy value 370.02 and 510.58 Kcal
respectively. The seeds contained 965.0mg/kg- 1020 mg/kg (potassium); 768.7mg/kg - 963.1 mg/kg (Calcium) and
639.1mg/kg - 650.90 mg/kg (Phosphorus). The oils were found to have: Saponification value: 196.0 – 212.0 mgKOH/g;
peroxide value: 5.85 – 6.30 mEq OH/g; acid value: 5.60 – 6.30 mg KOH/g; iodine value: 105 – 112.6 g /100g (Wijs);
specific gravity: 0.94 – 0.97; refractive index: 1.42 – 1.45; free fatty acid: 2.80 - 3.15 %. The fatty acid profile showed that
the seed oils were high in unsaturated fatty acids (55.05 – 83.83%) of which linoleic (28.95 – 44.51%), oleic (22.79 –
37.71%), linolenic (1.16 – 2.44%) acids were dominant. Brassicasterol was not detected in both seed oils. The seed oils are
good sources of essential fatty acids and may have potentials for both domestic and industrial applications.