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= Bottle Gourd Oil = Bottle Gourd oil is an edible oil produced from Bottle Gourd or Calabash.Consumers use bottle gourd oil as a vegetable oil due to its antioxidant properties and physicochemical characteristics. The major benefit of the oil is derived from its components, in terms of higher fatty acids, linoleic acids, iodine indices, oleic acids and the benefits associated with high saponification of the oil. Bottle gourd oil is also associated with the properties related to fighting cardiovascular diseases and decreasing the level of body cholesterol. Furthermore, researches have shown the benefits of these oils in reducing pain and inflammation. The color of the oil is dark yellow. Bottle gourds are cultivated in the tropical regions including Africa, Central and South America and the Indian Subcontinent and is believed to have been originated in Africa.

Production
The bottle gourd also known as Lagenaria Siceraria is associated with the family of cucurbitacece and is used in various appliances of the pharmaceuticals along with the dietary formulations. Bottle guard that is known as climbing plant has different names like calabash gourd. The vegetable is grown all over the tropical regions of the world especially in Africa, Sri Lanka, Thailand, India, and China. The spongy flesh tissues, the white pulp along with the embedded seeds are all present inside that of the bottle gourd fruit. The seeds are present in huge number and it is covered with that of the testa which is referred to as the protectant layer. This seed kernel is packed with 2.47 % of moisture, 30.72 % of protein, nearly 8.3% of carbohydrates and 4.43% of the ash. The seed kernels of bottle gourd consist of 52.54% of oil and are rich in iodine value (125.5), saponification value amounting to 301.6, 0.54% of that of free fatty acids and a total of 0.67% of unsaponified matter. The major components of these free fatty acids consist of 64% of linoleic acids along with 18.2% of that of oleic and a total of 17.8% of that of saturated fatty acids. The oil that is taken from the seed is pale yellow in color which is clear and is mostly used either for cooking or for hair purpose. The rate of phenolic content present in this seed oil varies from 8.0-10.5 mg gallic acid/100g with total flavonoids, 5.6-7.7 mg quercetin equivalent/100g. The free radical scavenging activity of this seed oil ranges between the values of 47.2-68.5% with EC50 values of 51.0-108.0 μg/ml. The chelating activity of seed oil varies from that of 63.8-80.1% with EC50 of 17.0-57.0 μg/ml and the ferric decreasing power of the seed oils ranges from 0.479-0.607 with EC50 values of 50.0-103.0. The results reveal that the seeds of the bottle gourds are used as a potential medicinal oil which can also be applied to various food applications for the purpose of nutritional and health benefits. This oil is found in the adipose tissues of the bottle gourd seeds which are extracted for various purposes including the production of soap, production of lubricating oil, usage within the bio-diesel production units and for human consumption as an edible oil. The production technique of the oil includes the usage of Soxhlet extractor, which is used in obtaining the hexane content from bottle gourd seeds, and further the oil is extracted after the heating and distillation process.

History of Production
History records that gourds were cultivated in many countries like Africa, Asia, America, and Europe for several years even before America was discovered by Columbus. In Europe, it is said that Walahfrid Strabo (808-849), a poet hailing from that of Reichenau who was also an advisor of the Carolingian kings talked about gourd in his Hortulus to be amongst one of those 23 plants that are ideal for a garden. Recent research reveals that gourds possess an African origin with two domestications, one that is believed to have occurred 9000 years ago due to the archaeological samples that were located in Asia and the other is said to have originated 4000 years ago and the archaeological traces were found in Egypt. The mystery of bottle gourd origin has been also related to the America 8000 years ago. In the beginning, bottle guard was believed to have drifted across the Atlantic Ocean from that of Africa to the North as well as South America. The samples published by that of the National Academy of Sciences in the year 2005 revealed that bottle guard was domesticated much earlier even before the food crops and livestock and was brought to the world during the end of the ice age by that of the Paleo Indians. The study said that the origin of the Bottle gourd is related closely to the Asian as well as African variants. Thus, Bottle gourd oil is culturally significant in African countries as well as is noted to have medicinal properties used within the Ayurveda tradition of the Indian subcontinent. The plant itself is found largely in the northern regions of Nigeria, including places such as Gumi, Dukku, Laminga and Keffi which are considered to be abundant producers of Bottle Gourd. The oil is also produced in other parts of the globe. It is recorded that bottle gourd oil was produced in higher quantities during World War II when there came higher demands for oils and fats among warring countries due to the quicker depletion of edible resources. In Latin American countries, the production of bottle gourd is heavily observed, however, no evidence lies in the history of production of oil in these countries. In the tradition associated with Ayurveda, the usage of bottle guard oil is associated with its therapeutic benefits and has been traditionally used as medicine for curing headaches. The countries in the Indian subcontinent have been associated with traditional bottle gourd oil production for medicinal usage. Not much of the literature have noted the historical usage and production of bottle gourd oil.

Bio-diesel
Bottle gourd oil is considered to be a potential ingredient for the production of bio-diesel. Biodiesel is considered as a bio-based fuel which has gained worldwide recognition as a substitute and acts as a blending agent to the fossil diesel. The bio-diesel can be produced from that of the non-edible seed oil feedstock and investigation revealed that calabash seed oil is best suited for the production of bio-diesel. This kind of calabash seed oil has been used extensively by that of Arugungun fishers as well as Fulani women cow milk sellers. Through the use of mechanical press, the seed produced 39.3% of oil. Followed by this, with the use of heterogeneous catalyst, the oil was transesterified with that of the methanol. The products used were rich with esters content of 90.43, 96.00 and 83.48%. The viscosity ranges between that if 5.0 and 5.7 mm2 / which is within the standards of EN as well as ASTM. This oil thus proved to be effective for biodiesel production. Bio-diesel is produced from bottle gourd oil by heating it with alcohol and providing suitable catalyst for the procedure. The bio-diesel produced is stable for the purpose of commercial production. Furthermore, the bio-diesel produced from the bottle gourd oil has all the acceptable properties which falls under the guidelines of the American Society of Testing Materials (ASTM) and National Biodiesel Board (NBB), the organizations which are responsible to set guidelines for the properties associated with bio-diesel production. The production of bio-diesel from bottle gourd oil is believed to have futuristic benefits related to solving the much discussed energy crisis in the contemporary times and the harmful emissions of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Uses
Bottle gourd Oil is used for various purposes, including medicinal and commercial production for bio-diesel as well as for the purpose of making edible oil. The oil is also used in cosmetic products and is treated with other oils for perfumery. The ethnomedical usage has shown that Lagenaria siceraria seeds of bottle gourds are diuretic as well as anthelmintic which is used for reducing any inflammation or pain. It is also used for the purpose of treating the boils, ached tooth or gums, cough, fever, skin diseases and also diabetes mellitus. Lagenin which is a ribosome protein was separated from that of lyophilized water extract of that of Lagenaria siceraria seeds which showed to consist of immunosuppressive, anti-viral along with anti-HIV activities. In the countries of Africa including Botswana, Nigeria, Zimbabwe and South Africa, bottle gourd oil is extracted from its seed and is used within the households as a substitute to vegetable oil. The seed oil of the bottle guard is regarded as the most diabetic oil as it is loaded with omega-3 which not only promotes energy but also enables brain functionality as well as overall human vitality. The ethanolic extract that is produced from these seeds has a high level of anthelmintic activity against that of the tapeworms which can be compared to the effects from that of piperazine citrate. The properties of bottle gourd oil in terms of higher fatty acids makes it a desirable nutritional content. Furthermore, the oil is used as hair oil. The oil is also treated for the commercial production of oleates and lotions. The oil can also be applied on the skin to treat skin related issues like Alopecia, acne, wound, burn, anasarca and Leucodarma. The vegetable oil used also heals various infections such as fever, sore throat, depurative, Rheumatism, and Tetanus. These seeds are also used in various dropsy, infection from worms and virus as well as nutritive. The ripe seeds consist of 45 % of limbid oil which has a very cooling effect and can be used for treating migraine issues as well as headache. Various parts of China use this seed oil for treating diabetes mellitus. The Gutti Koya Tribals are said to use the bottle gourd oil since ancient times for treating a headache. They mix the bottle gourd seed oil with that of the castor oil for cooling effect and treating headache issues. Moreover, higher saponification values found in the oil denotes its suitability in the commercial production of soaps. Researches are underway in determining the complete potentials of the oil.

Medicinal
Bottle gourd oil has various components which are used for its healing purposes. Studies have found that bottle gourd oil has medicinal properties within the proteins found in the oil which includes immunosuppressive properties and anti-tumor capabilities. The proteins in the oil are also considered to be having functions such as that of being antiviral and anti-proliferative in nature. Furthermore, the oil is also considered within the domains of Ayurveda to be a better source for the treatment of various diseases such as jaundice, ulcer, colitis, diabetes, hypertension, piles, cardiac failure, insanity, and skin related diseases. Researches have highly associated this with antioxidant properties of the oil. This makes the oil highly desirable due to its disease fighting capabilities.

Nutrition
Bottle gourd oil is rich in fatty acids which makes it a desirable edible oil. Human body is incapable of producing natural fatty acids and this is where bottle gourd oil is used for its higher fatty acid content. This essential acid contents makes it desirable for lactating women, infants and pregnant women. The oil contains smaller proportion of linolenic acid, which if removed, makes the oil similar to peanut and olive oil. The iodine content of the oil makes it a highly desirable vegetable oil. This makes the oil a suitable choice as an edible oil. Furthermore, the insecticidal activity of the bottle gourd oil makes it highly desirable in the field which can replace chemicals for agricultural activities. The crops preserved in the oil have higher mortality rates. This makes bottle gourd oil a desirable vegetable oil as well as a potential fertilizer. The rich omega-3 content in the oil promotes higher energy levels and increases brain function, further leading to increased vitality levels.