Seed Viability Test: A Semi-Throughput Method to Screen Oilseeds for Biodiesel Production

Biofuels offer a solution to combat climate change and secure energy surplus. Among the various sources for biodiesel production, the seed of oilseed crops is primary raw material. The biodiesel industry demands a supply of good quality oil so that it can reduce processing costs and price of biodiesel. In general, the oils with low free fatty acid contents are considered as good quality oil and for which the quality of the oil should be analyzed in seed lot for biodiesel production. Currently, oil quality testing is done to the oil extracted from seed lot using sophisticated instruments. However, the analysis of oil seed lot is not tested, which forms the basic materials for oil extraction. Therefore, analysis of the quality of raw materials (seed lot in this case) is mandatory for assessing oil quality.Till now, there is no standard method available for screening the quality of the oilseed before biodiesel production. The free fatty acid (FFA) content of the oil is the critical factor for biodiesel production. In seeds, the FFA content of oil is directly associated with seed viability. In this chapter, an easy-to-perform protocol is presented for determining the seed viability potential, which is having a significant positive association with FFA content of the seed.