No abstract

The seeds of four date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) cultivars, Dekel Noor, Zahidi, Medjool and Haiawy, grown in the Arava Valley of southern Israel were analyzed for their inorganic and some organic constituents. The following average values were obtained for the four cultivars on a dry-weight basis: protein 5.60%, oil 8.15%, fiber 16.13%, and ash 1.13%. Analysis of the mineral elements in the ash gave the following average values: Ca, 1.55%; Na, 0.97%; Mg, 8.07%; K, 27.60%; Fe, 0.73%; Cu, 0.13% and Mn, 0.08%. The oil exhibited the following characteristics (average for the four cultivars): acid value ~1.04, iodine value 49.5, saponification value 221.0, and unsaponifiable matter 0.8%. Gas-liquid chromatography revealed that the major unsaturated fatty acid was oleic acid (42.3%}, while the main saturated fatty acid was lauric (21.8%}. Myristic, palmitic and linoleic acids were also found, average values being 10.9, 9.6 and 13.7%, respectively. Potential uses for date seed oil are considered for cosmetic, pharmaceutical and related specialty products, and to a lesser degree for food products.

No abstract

Fatty acid profiles and iodine values of tigernut tubers (Cyperus esculentus L.), decorticated seeds of the baobab tree (Adansonia digitata L.), and their mixture (one part of tigernut to three parts of baobab seeds, w/w) were chromatographically and chemically determined. All three samples contained myristic acid as the main saturated acid and oleic acid as the predominant unsaturated acid. Linoleic acid was present in the samples to the extent of 8.8-27.4%, and no other polyunsaturated acids were found. The vegetable oil mixture had the highest level of linoleate, and its possible significance in relation to the intended use in novel food formulation is discussed.