manually from the dry seeds. Mechanical screw type mini expeller
manufactured by M/s. Rajkumar Agro Engineers Private Limited,
Pune, India, was used to extract oil from the raw dry seeds. The
approximate oil content of the M. zapota seed lies between
25–30% of the weight of the seed. The oil was filtered and dried
at 60 C. The various important properties of raw oil and biodiesel
were estimated. Fatty acid compositions were measured using a
gas chromatograph (Perkin–Elmer Clarus 500 Auto System XL with
elite series PE-5 capillary column, 30 m 0.25 mm 1 lm)
coupled with a mass spectrometer (GC-MS) (Turbo; EI, 70 eV).
DB-1 (100% dimethylpolysiloxane) column with helium as the
carrier gas at a flow rate of 1 ml min1.