Oil plants of Zaire. I. Botanical families giving oils of relatively low unsaturation

Abstract

Analytical results are presented for 23 oil producing plants giving oils of relatively low unsaturation. While the fruits of many of these plants are eaten, the following could be used for industrial exploitation. Irvingia gabonensis, producing >60% extractable edible oil with >90% lauric and myristic and <2% oleic acid; Carapa guianensis with 60% edible oil with 20% palmitic, 50% oleic, 13% linoleic and <1% linolenic acid; and Terminalia catappa containing about 50% edible oil with 35-40% palmitic and 25-30% each of oleic and linoleic acid.