Physico chemical properties of some local vegetable butter fats were
studied to evaluate their quality and nutritive value. Results showed that, refractive
index (R.I) had a slight differences between the tested samples. Melting point (M.P.)
was higher in sample(2) than others, and this could be attributed to its higher content
of saturated fatty acids. The recorded low acid value (A.v.) of all samples indicated
the absence of hydrolysis, also, peroxide value (P.V.) was low in all samples except
for samplet") . Saponification (S.v.) and iodine values (IV) were different between
samples due to their contents of fatty acids. Results showed a relatively low
percentage of unsaponifiable matters and a high content of ester value for the tested
samples. Results also showed that Sample( 1) has the highest content of glycerol and
sample (2) has the highest content of Tocopherols. Samples contain a small amount
of trans fatty acids and this may due to the hydrogenation process. Palmatic acid was
the majer saturated fatty acid, meanwhile, oleic acid was the major unsaturated fatty
acid in all the tested samples. The steady increase in peroxide value during oven test
revealed the safety of these vegetable fats.