Studies of the Fats From Indigenous South African Plants

Abstract

"A sample of the seed pod fat of Acacia giraffae was extracted and the physical and chemical constants determined, together with the fatty acid composition and the composition of the unsaponifiable matter. The seed pods contain about 1-2 per cent of fat having the following constants: Sp. gr. d25-4 = 0.9373; [n] 70 D = 1.4599. Acid val. = 57 .3; sap. val. = 143.2; I.V. = 69.0; hydroxyl val. = 30 .2; unsap. = 26.0 per cent; R.M. val. = 0.4; Polenske val. = 0.3; the fat yields 70.8 percent of fatty acids which have the following composition (weights per cent) myristic acid = 0.8; palmitic = 17.0; stearic = 9 .1; arachidic = 8.3; behenic 0.1; tetradecenoic = trace; palmitoleic = 10.4; oleic = 29.3; eicosenoic = 4.9; hexadecadienoic = 1.1; linoleic = 19.0."