Abstract
Objective: “Fixed oils; are mixtures obtained from natural sources and cause various physiological effects internally and externally in the body. Depending on the plant from which they are obtained, fixed oils contain substances such as free fatty acids, their glycerol esters, aromatic compounds, phenolic compounds, phytosterols, and vitamins. It is not always possible to obtain accurate information about the source and quality of fixed oils sold in the market. Fixed oils of pharmacopoeial quality should be preferred as therapeutic agents in phytotherapy and as carrier oils in aromatherapy. Sesame oil, one of these fixed oils, is used internally in phytotherapy to treat constipation, especially dyschezia, while externally it is used as a massage oil in rheumatic pain and as an emollient in dry skin diseases. Due to these activities and its use in phytotherapy; it is aimed to evaluate the compliance of some sesame oil samples sold in pharmacies and herbalists with the Turkish Pharmacopoeia 2017.
Material and Method: In this study, on 6 different commercial sesame oil samples sold in pharmacies and herbalists, acidity, peroxide number, unsaponifiable substance values, relative density and refractive index determinations were made. Alkaline impurities and cottonseed oil search tests as foreign oil were also carried out which are amongst the Turkish Pharmacopoeia 2017 monograph on sesame oil in our study. In addition, sesame oil samples were compared with different oil samples using the Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) method
Result and Discussion: According to the data obtained as a result of pharmacopoeia analyzes carried out on samples; It was recorded that 2 of the analyzed sesame oil samples comply with all quality values specified in the pharmacopoeia. No alkaline impurities and cottonseed oil were detected in any oil samples. In the study, conducted using TLC, it was concluded that one oil sample may have been adulterated with a different oil. As an example, the results of the pharmacopoeial analysis of the sesame oils have revealed that many sesame oils available in the market are not of pharmacopoeial quality.