TRIGLYCERIDE COMPOSITION OF BUCHANANIA-LANZAN SEED OIL

Abstract

The fatty acid composition of Buchanania lanzan seed oil, determined by urea complex formation and gas liquid chromatography (g.l.c), was found to be: myristic, 0.6; palmitic, 33.4; stearic, 6.3; oleic, 53.7; and linoleic, 6.0%. Triglyceride compositions of the native seed oil and its randomised product were calculated from the fatty acid compositions of the triglycerides and of the corresponding 2-monoglycerides produced by pancreatic lipase hydrolysis. The oil is composed of 3.2, 35.8, 45.5 and 15.5% trisaturated, monounsaturated disaturated, diunsaturated monosaturated and triunsaturated glycerides respectively. The special characteristic of the B. lanzan seed oil is its content of 22.7, 31.0 and 11.3% dipalmitoolein, dioleopalmitin and triolein respectively. The percent GS3 content in the oil increased from 3.2 to 7.5 by the process of randomisation. On directed interesterification the oil yielded a product with a slip point of 41.5°C which may be suitable as a coating material for delayed action tablets. The oil also appears to be a promising one as a commercial source of palmitic and oleic acids.