Organic Ethiopian Niger Seed

Niger is an oilseed that humans have cultivated for approximately 5,000 years. Guizotia abyssinica is widely grown in South India and Ethiopia, which are the two main producing countries. Niger (Guizotia abyssinica Cass.) seed oil plays an important role in human nutrition and health because of its fatty acid composition and its high levels of fat-soluble bioactive components. The oil has an attractive pale yellow color and a nutty taste. With high levels of linoleic acid, it is very similar to sunflower and safflower oils. The conventional procedure for oil extraction from niger is through a combination of warming, grinding, and mixing with hot water followed by centrifugation. After centrifugation on a smooth soft surface, the pale yellow oil settles over the meal. Niger is also crushed in small cottage expellers and large oil mills. Niger seeds are used fried, milled into flour, pressed with honey into cakes and for livestock feed after oil extraction, while the plants are used as green manure. The oil is used as a substitute for olive oil and a substitute for sesame oil for pharmaceutical purposes. Niger seed oil is also used in the manufacture of soap and as a lubricant or lighting fuel. This chapter discusses the fatty acid composition of niger seed oil in detail.