Introduction. This paper provides the complete profile of physicochemical properties and fatty acid composition of local castor varieties from Sindh, Pakistan. Initially, physical characteristics of seeds were studied followed by detailed examination of oil. Materials and methods. Oil was extracted through Soxhlet extraction method followed by physico-chemical examination of necessary parameters (iodine value, peroxide value, saponification value, viscosity and moisture). For qualitative analysis of castor oil GCMS and FTIR instruments were used. Results and discussions. Oil content was observed in the range of 44-48%. Moisture and ash content of castor seeds were found to be 4.22-5.16% and 5.66-6.49%, respectively. Compositional analysis by GCMS has shown ricinoleic acid (88.5-93.1%) as a prominent fatty acid in all local varieties. Other fatty acids present were palmitic (0.4-0.8%), stearic (0.8-1.0%), linoleic (2.8-3.3%), and ecosenoic (0.2-1.5%). Free fatty acid value of all castor oil varieties was found to be in the range of 0.16-0.53%. Other quality parameters such as IV, PV and SV of different castor oil varieties were determined in the range of 79.16-90.03 gI2/100g, 1.62-1.89 meq/Kg, and 188.12-204.76 mgKOH/g, respectively. The FTIR spectra of castor seed oil varieties were nearly similar. On careful examination of the intensity values of each functional group present in the oil showed some variations in castor seed varieties. Conclusion. Indigenous local varieties of castor with sufficient oil content (> 40%) were explored and examined for some important parameters. FTIR band intensities of some functional groups highly correlated with important parameters of castor oil.

The study investigated the water quality of groundwater for consumption of human beings and irrigation of taluka Qamber district Qamber-Shahdadkot, Sindh, Pakistan. A total of 21 representative groundwater samples were collected mostly used for human consumption. According to the research work, 81% samples were not suitable for drinking purpose with TDS above the maximum permissible limit of WHO (1000 mg/L). The pH, total phosphate-P, orth ophosphate-P, nitrate-N, nitrite-N, and arsenic were within WHO limits. The concentrations of essential metals more than half samples were higher than WHO guideline. The concentrations of trace metals like Mn, Fe, Co, and Cu of all samples were within WHO limits, but the values of Cr and Ni 52.38%, Cd 57.14%, and Pb 28.57% were above the WHO limits. The concentrations of fluoride in 81% were higher than permissible limits of WHO. The high consumption of water with concentration of salts and fluoride above the permissible limits may be a leading factor of a number of diseases in the area. The water quality determined for irrigation based on Kelly index (KI), sodium percentage (Na%), chloride-sulfate ratio, sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), permeability index (PI), chloro alkaline indices1 (CAI-1), residual sodium carbonate (RSC), and chloride bicarbonate ratio indicated that 25-90% samples were suitable for irrigation purposes.

No abstract