Available online www.jocpr.com Journal of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Research, 2015, 7(6):518-524 Research Article ISSN : 0975-7384 CODEN(USA) : JCPRC5 518 Effects of extraction methods on chemical composition and oxidative stability of Argan oil Rahma Belcadi Haloui 1 , Abderrahmane Zekhnini 2* and Abdelhakim Hatimi 1 1 Laboratory of Plants Biotechnology, Faculty of Sciences, Agadir, Morocco 2 Laboratory of Aquatic Systems, Faculty of Sciences, Agadir, Morocco _____________________________________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACT The effect of four extraction methods on chemical composition and oxidative stability of argan oil were studied. The output was low with artisanal extraction (39%) and press (41%) compared to Soxhlet (59%) and Folch (56%) methods. The acidity, fatty acids, phospholipids and tocopherols contents were significantly influenced by the extraction procedure. Acidity and phospholipids rates were superior in the oil extracted with Folch technique. The concentration of fatty acids varied from 19.45 to 20.30%, 44.95 to 47.02% and 32.17 to 34.56% for saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids respectively. The tocopherols content was significantly higher with the methods of Folch (1256 mg/kg) and Soxhlet (1158.5 mg/kg) compared to the traditional technique (588 mg/kg) and the press (864 mg/kg).The oil extracted by Folch was more stable compared to those obtained with other extraction methods. This result was explained by the higher content of antioxidants (tocopherols and phospholipids) in the oil extracted by the Folch technique. Key words: Argan oil-Extraction-Fatty Acids-Oxidation-Phospholipids-Tocopherols _____________________________________________________________________________________________ INTRODUCTION Argania spinosa L. is an endemic tree of the Moroccan Southwest, which produces a seed with one to three almonds (oilseeds) used for the extraction of argan oil. The extraction is carried out by rural women in a traditional way using millstones for grinding roasted almonds. The obtained paste is mixed to small amounts of warm water in order to extract the oil. This type of extraction requires long hours to yield close to 30%. In recent years, presses have been introduced. This process significantly reduced the time of production, increased the extraction output and improved the stability of the oil [1]. As for the chemical extraction, it is industrially practiced using nonpolar organic solvents such as hexane, and a suitable stainless steel appliance [2]. The industrial argan oil is richer in unsaponifiable but its organoleptic characteristics are not appreciated by the consumer. It is primarily intended for pharmaceutical and cosmetic uses [3]. Argan oil presents a rich and varied chemical composition. The glyceridic fraction consists of 80% unsaturated fatty acids oleic-linoleic type. Saturated fatty acids, about 20%, are mainly represented by stearic and palmitic acids [4, 5]. The oil is thus characterized by a high ratio of unsaturated/saturated fatty acids recommended by nutritionists. Regarding the unsaponifiable fraction of argan oil, it is represented mainly by tocopherols, triterpene alcohols, carotenes, sterols and phospholipids [6, 7]. Some studies report that argan oil, due to its composition of fatty acids and antioxidants, has therapeutic and preventive effects against many diseases such as diabetes, hypertension , hypercholesterolemia and cancer [6, 8, 9]. However, the chemical composition of argan oil, particularly in minor compounds (unsaponifiable), may be influenced by several factors such as the phenotypic varieties of the fruit, geographical origin and extraction processes [4, 5, 7, 10, 11]. Changes in the chemical composition in minor elements, such as tocopherols, phospholipids, sterols and phenols, may have significant effects on the nutritional quality, pharmaceutical and cosmetic properties, and the stability of the oil during storage. Thus, the objective of our