| Abstract: | Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) fruit mesocarp had higher levels of free fatty acids at the ends of the fruits than in the middle, and microscopy showed that yeasts penetrate the mesocarp via the scars at each end. Very low levels of esterase activity, probably not due to a lipase, were detected in mesocarp extracts by using 4-methyl umbelliferone esters as substrates, but no activity against triacylglycerols could be found. In bruising and storage trials, the only variable that correlated (P<0.01) with free fatty acid level was yeast and mould count. It is concluded that yeasts and moulds are the source of lipolytic activity in oil palm mesocarp, and there is no evidence for an endogenous lipase. |
