Crude palm oil contains about 1% of minor components including carotenoids, tocopherols, sterols, triterpene alcohols, phospholipids, glycolipids and terpenic and paraffinic hydrocarbons. The nutritionally important components such as carotenes and tocopherols also improve stability of the oil. Although a highly valued product, carotene unfortunately is bleached or destroyed in refining because suitable recovery technology is not available. Thermal degradation of carotene, previously suspected of giving rise to undesirable chemicals, now is known to furnish mainly harmless hydrocarbons, most of which are removed by the deodorization step in refining. Tocopherols, being natural antioxidants, need to be carefully preserved during milling, refining, fractionation and modification of palm oils. The accumulation of tocopherols in the palm fatty acid distillate promises to provide a new source for the recovery of this valuable substance. The role played by phospholipids is frequently misunderstood because they can act in two ways, i.e. as an antioxidant synergist and a surface active agent to disperse impurities in oil. In crude palm oil the phospholipid content is small, because most of it is removed during milling; the phosphorus content is due mainly to inorganic phosphorus. Among the sterols, cholesterol constitutes too small a percentage to be of much concern. Sterols, triterpenoids and terpenoid hydrocarbons are also potentially useful side products should recovery technology become available. Other newly characterized minor and trace components also are discussed.

Prospects for modification of palm oil composition through oil palm breeding, tissue culture and enzyme‐catalyzed transesterification are reviewed. Present emphasis in oil modification is toward greater unsaturation. The greatest prospect for this area lies in the interspecific hybridization ofE. oleifera andE. guineensis. The target recommended is for a hybrid oil of iodine value above 72 having a palmitic acid content below 25% and an oleic acid content above 60%. It is noted that the variability of linoleic acid in the oil palm is limited regardless of species. The greatest contribution towards unsaturation, therefore, lies mainly in oleic acid. Tissue culture is seen as a potential propagating tool for selecting progenies of important crosses from the hybridization ofE. oleifera andE. guineensis, while enzyme‐catalyzed transesterification using a 1,3 specific lipase offers the possibility of enhancing the level of linoleic acid in palm oil. Besides breeding for unsaturation, production of palms giving oils of specific fatty acid or triglyceride types also may be possible ultimately.

SUMMARYFour geographically distinct isolates of Tulasnella calospora (Bourdier) Juel exhibited a similar nutritional pattern and utilized a wide range of carbon compounds including cellulose. None would grow on a mineral salts/glucose medium unless undefined materials were present. Growth occurred when a mixture of ten amino acids and ten vitamins was used, and all four isolates were heterotrophic for thiamine and /?-amino benzoic acid. They were also exacting for nitrogen. Growth on ammonium ions was very limited but asparagine, glycine and urea were good nitrogen sources while glutamine, arginine and alanine were less adequate.Isolates of Ceratobasidium cornigerum (Bourd.) Rogers and a Rhizoctonia sp. were selfsufficient for vitamins and grew well on nitrate or other nitrogen sources tested. They were more efficient than Tulasnella calospora isolates in their nitrogen economy.

Determination of the fatty acid and triglyceride compositions of the F~ (Elaeis guineensis • E. oleifera), F a and the backcross hybrid mesocarp oils demonstrated that most fatty acid and triglyceride compositions of oils from hybrid palms are intermediate between those of their respective parentals. These data, as well as the acyl group (samrated/palmimte and unsaturated/oleate) distribution of trigtycerides of the F 2 mesocarp oils provide genetic proof for codominance in the F a generation which shows a characteristic segregation into the co-domlnance ratio of 1:2:1 (i.e., 1 E. guineensis: 2 F 1 hybrid: 1 E. oleifera). Similar analyses into the backcross hybrid mesocarp oils on the whole confirmed co-dominance when the backcross ratio of 1:1 was obtained. These remits are used to develop the Co-Dominance Theory of Elaeis palm hybridization which makes successful predictions for mesocarp oils from the different hybrid palms. ABSTRACTThe fatty acid and sterol compositions of different parts of Malagasy zebu (Bos indicus) were evaluated. Investigation by gas liquid chromatography using Carbowax 20 M revealed 35 fatty acids, mainly palmitic (24-27%), stearic (13-24%), and oleic (25-37%) acids. Oddnumbered, iso and anteiso fatty acids were also detected. Small differences in composition were observed between the hump and the kidney fats of B. indicus. Comparison between industrial tallow of B. indicus and B. taurus revealed slight differences in the stearic/ oleic acid ratio (0.83 and 0.46, respectively). An OV 17 column was used to separate 9 sterols, mainly cholesterol (89-98%). fl-Sitosterol was also found at lower concentrations in all the samples.

One of the most obvious changes when oils are heated is color darkening. Palm oil darkens very rapidly compared to other oils. The cause of this rapid color development was investigated. Various methods used to pretreat Lotox crude palm oil (CPO) to retard darkening during heating were by agitation with activated carbon S511, by water and water/isopropyl alcohol (95:5) washing of neutralized and unneutralized oil, and by liquid/liquid extraction of oil using water and water/isopropyl (95:5). Pretreatment of CPO did succeed in retarding color development. Retardation was especially evident in oils previously neutralized with sodium hydroxide before washing with water and water/isopropyl alcohol. The UV spectra of the liquid/liquid extracts showed strong absorption maxima at 256 nm. The addition of a base resulted in darkening of the extracts accompanied by shifts to longer wavelengths (288 nm). Reaction with freshly diluted 1–2% ferric chloride solution gave a brown color. The development of paper chromatography in butanol: acetic acid:water (6:1:2) revealed a blue fluorescence near the solvent front, with the same relative retention time as that of tannic acid. This evidence indicates that phenolic compounds were responsible for color darkening in palm oil.