CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF OIL FROM COULA EDULIS (Bail.) NUTS

Coula edulis (Bail.) nuts are generally used as food components in the littoral and southern part of Cameroon. The physicochemical characteristics, the fatty acids and the triacylglycerols (TGs) of Coula edulis (Bail.) nut oil from two different agroclimatical zones of Cameroon were studied. The oil content varied according to the zone (33.50 – 36.65%). The iodine value (90 – 95), saponification value (180 – 185) and the nitrogen (2.16 – 2.40%), and ash (2.5 to 2.7%) contents were similar for the two types of nuts studied. The main fatty acid of the oil was oleic acid (95.5 – 97.4%), as determined by capillary gas chromatographic analysis. The triacylglycerol profile obtained by reversed phase liquid     

CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF OIL FROM TETRACARPIDIUM CONOPHORUM ((MÜLL. ARG.) HUTCH. AND DALZ.) NUTS

Tetracarpidium conophorum is known in the littoral and the western Cameroon as kaso or ngak and serves as an edible nut eaten between meals. The physicochemical characteristics, the fatty acids and the triacylglycerols (TG) of T. conophorum nut oil (Type 1 and Type 2) from the southern continental low lands were studied. The oil content varied between 55.75 and 61.62%. The iodine value (180–182), saponification value (175–176) and nitrogen (8.08–8.78) were similar. Ashes varied between 8.40 and 9.68%. The main fatty acid of the golden yellow was linolenic acid (69.47–70.39%) as determined by capillary gas chromatographic analysis. The triacylglycerol profil obtained by reversed phase liquid chromatography showed 10 TG with three major ones identified as     

CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF RICINODENDRON HEUDELOTII (BAIL.) SEED OIL

The technological characteristics and the fatty acid composition of Ricinodendron heudelotii (Bail.) seed oil from two different regions of Cameroon were studied. The fatty acid composition was determined by gas chromatography on a capillary column. The oil content varied according to the region (44.9–54.7%). The iodine value (160), saponification value (190) and unsaponifiable matter content (1.6%) were similar for the two types of seeds examined. The oil was composed mainly of linoleic acid (25–30%) and a polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) found to be α-elaeostearic acid (48–56%). The latter fatty acid is subject to transformation during the esterification processes due to its trienic conjugated bonds. The triacylglycerol profile obtained by reversed phase liquid chromatography showed 20 triacylglycerols with two major ones identified as linoleodi-α-elaeostearic (29.7–33.1%) and tri-α-elaeostearic (13.1–15.9%).