Valorization of Cucurbita pepo Seed Oil in Soap Production

The present study was conducted with the aim of extracting and characterising Cucurbita pepo seed oil and then producing soap with important dermatological properties. The physico-chemical results of the Cucurbita pepo seed oil after extraction were satisfactory and indicate that the oil obtained contains long-carbonaceous fatty acids. The production of the soap was based on the realisation of a saponification reaction by reflux heating between the extracted oil and a solution of soduim hydroxyde 7M for one hour. The soap obtained is characterised by the following physico-chemical parameters: salt content, alkali content, pH, and humidity; which meet ISO 684-1974 standards. The antibacterial parameters of the soaps S1, S2, S3, S4, S5 and S6 were determined by the Agar Diffusion test using the well method and these soaps showed an interesting antibacterial activity against the germs pseudomonas aeruginosa and staphylococcus aureus. Soaps based on Raffia sese oil (kolo oil) and Elaesis guineensis oil (palm oil) have also been synthesized for comparison with soap obtained from Cucurbita pepo seed oil.