298 BRAY AND ELLIOTT: SOME NEW OIL-SEEDS SOME NEW OIL-SEEDS DERIVED FROM AMERICAN PALMS. BY G. T. BRAY AND F. L. ELLIOTT. DURING recent years considerable interest has been aroused from time to time in certain oil-seeds indigenous to South and Central America. These seeds are most often derived from one or other of the numerous species of palms. The Cohune nut (Attalea Cohune) has probably received most attention, and numerous attempts have been made to solve the difficult problem of shelling the nuts by machinery, so as to obtain the kernels in sufficiently large quantities for use as a source of oil on a com%ercial scale.Samples of a number of these American palm kernels have been examined recently a t the Imperial Institute, and in view of their probable importance in the future as sources of edible fats and feeding cakes, the results are now published.‘‘ Babassu ” Kernels.-These are derived from a species of Attulea, possibly A. fun;fera, Mart., allied to the Cohune palm (Attalea Cohune, Mart.), and have been received from Brazil under the above name and also under the names “Coco BalD&ss-u ” Considerable quantitics of the kernels have been exported lately from Para in the state of Maranham, where the tree is abundant (Dipl.and Cons. Repts., Ann. Series, Cd. 5526: Para Consuhr District, 1914, p. 26). In 1915 nearly 1,200 tons of kernels were exported; of these, the greater part appears to have been obtained by hand shelling, the nuts being placed on end in a hole in a board and struck with an axe; but machinery for shelling the nuts is also being used.The kernels have been crushed on it fairly large scale, and there seems to be every prospect of increased supplies being brought to this country. The kernels are stated to have been sold a t about two pounds per ton less than copra,. The fruit is very similar in appearance to Cohune palm fruit (see Bulletin of the Imperial Institute, 1913, 11, 226), weighs on the average about 45 grms., and consists of an outer fibrous pericarp, enclosing a hard-shelled nut containing several kernels.A single fruit examined at the Imperial Institute contained five kernels, but from the size and formation of the kernels as exported from Brazil, it seems that thls is an unusually large number. The kernels are reddish-brown, and of a characteristic elongated shape pointed bluntly at the ends; they weigh on an average about 3 grms., and are 40-50 mm.long and about 13 mm. broad. The kernels are easily distinguishable from Cohune kernels, which are shorter and rounder. The fat is fairly hard, cream-coloured, and resembles palm kernel and coconut oils in general appearance; in chemical character it is most closely allied to palm- kernel oil, and is similar, as would be expected, to Cohune kernel oil, although its iodine value is somewhat highex.The figures obtained from the examination of several samples of Cohune oil are quoted in the table of analyses for purposes of comparison. The results of examination of the residual meal show that it should possess a feeding value about equal to that of coconut cake and somewhat superior to that of palm-kernel cake.“ -gassoba*”DERIVED FROM AMERICAN PALMS 299 “ Tucan ” or ‘‘ Large Panama ” Nuts.-&‘ Tacan ” or “ Tucum ” nuts are probably derived from Astrocaryum vulgare, Mart., and the “ Large Panama ” nuts appear to be identical. Another sample of nuts evidently derived from a different species of Astrowryum was received under the name of “ Tucuina assu,” but was unfortunately too small for examination.The “ Tucan ” kernels weighed on an average 3.6 grms. and measured 18-25 mm. in length and 13-18 mm. in diameter; the outer skin was smooth and brown, and the white flesh harder and tougher than that of palm kernels or copra; in fact, the kernels were so hard that extraction of the oil was slow and difficult, and it seems quite possible that the kernels may prove tpoublesonie to work on account of their hardness.The fat extracted from “ Tucan ” kernels was cream-coloured and fairly hard; in chemical character it resembled palm-kernel oil, but contained less soluble volatile acids and had a somewhat higher melting-point. The residual meal contains only 10 per cent.of protein, and is obviously inferior to coconut or palm-kernel meal; although the meal yields only about 10 per cent. of “ crude ” fibre, the tough nature of the kernels seems likely to render the residual meal somewhat indigestible. The kernels are stated to have sold a t from one pound to two pounds less per ton than fine palm kernels. “ Paraguay ” Kernels.-These kernels appear to be derived from a species of Acrocomia, and are probably the source of “ Mocaya ” or “ Mbocaya ” oil, which, according to Lewkowitsch (“ Chemistry and Technology of Oils, etc.,” [1914], vol.ii., p. 607), is derived from the kernels of Acrocornia sclerocarpa in Paraguay; “ Para- guay ” kernels are smaller than, but otherwise indistinguishable in appearance from, “ Gru-gru ” kernels (Acrocornia sclerocarpa), from the West Indies, but the Paraguay kernels contain a somewhat higher percentage of fat of decidedly softer consistency and higher iodine value.In view of our limited knowledge of South American palms and the difficulty of identifying the species from the seeds or fruits alone, it is quite probable that “ Gru-gru ” and “ Paraguay ” kernels are not identical in origin.The “ Paraguay ” kernels are roughly spherical, about 12 mm. in diameter, and weigh about 1 grm. each; the skin is almost black and the flesh much softer than that of ordinary oil-plm kernels (Elmis sp.). The fat is decidedly softer than either coconut or palm-kernel oil, being only semi-solid at ordinary temperature, and the iodine value is higher than that of either of these oils, or than that of the oils derived from the other kinds of palm-kernels examined.The residual cake of “Paraguay ” kernels is even richer in protein than coconut cake, and should have therefore a high feeding value. The kernels are stated to have sold recently in Liverpool at prices between those of fine palm kernels and copra,. ‘‘ Cokerite ” Kernels from British Guiana.-These are derived from Maximiliann regia, Mart.The fruits are somewhat similar to Cohune fruits, but more pointed and smaller, and had bhe following dimensions : Average weight, grms. . . .. .. 10.6 7.5 1-3 ,, length, mm. . . . . . . 40-50 40-60 25 ,, diameter, mm. . . .. . . ’ 20-25 12-20 12 Fruits. Nuts. Kernels. The fruits consisted of fibrous pericarp and bracts 29; shell 54; kernel 17 per cent.03 0 0 For Coniparison.* AttaZea Cohune, Mart. A crocomia ckerocarpa, Mart. Gru-gru " kernels -- West Indies istrocuryum Species. A. w I q r w e , Mart. ( 1 ) Attnlen Spccices. Bassoba " B5Lb&s9u " COCO Babassu " Brazil ' e y i i ~ , Mart. Cokerite " kernels Popular or native names Cohune,: Coyun Cahoun ' Tucan " Coconut (Copra) ,' Large anama " nuts South America -- 'araguay' kernels South Amcrica 6.0 65.2 69.4 - 21" 0.865 26.1 247 28-5 0-3 6.5 10.2 Palm kernels West Africa 6-8 48-51 52-54 26-2911 20.0-25-5 0.873 - 245-248 14-17.6 - 5-0-7.6 10-12 South America British Guiana Origin .. .. * . British Hondurae 4.5 65.4-7 1.6 68'4-74.9 rropics generally - Composition of kernels : Moisture, per cent.. .Oil in kernels as rc- ceived, per cent. Oil in kernels dried at 100" C., per cent. 6.6 48.6 52.0 7.1 37.6 40.5 11.3 56.9 64.1 ---- 27"s 24.2" 0.867 3.1 253 13.0 0.3 3-0 7.0 Generally about 5 63-70 4.2 67.2 70.1 26" 23" 0.868 5.5 249 15.6 0.3 6.1 67.0 60.7 - 2 0 5" 0.868 1.4 254-255 16.2-21.0 004-05 5.7-6.8 10.0- 12.6 66-74 Conslants of the oil : Melting point " C.? . . Titcr test C.. . - 22dt240 19.7" to 21.0" 0.868 to 0.87 1 1.2-20.4 252.4 to 256.5 11.0- 13.7 0.2 - 0.3 6.8-8-3 12.5- 15-4 30.5O 27" 0,867 2.9 249 11.6 0.3 3.8 5.9 23-2611 21-2-25-2 0.874 - 260-262 7-0 - 0.65-5.0 15-20 Specific gravity at Acid value . . .. Saponification value Iodine value, per cent. (Hubl, -17 hrs.) Unsaponifiable mat- 100"/15" C. te< per cent. value Reichert - Wollny j 543 Poleneke value .. j 10.2 i * Figares quoted are from Lewkowitsch, ' I Oils and Fats "; Bolton and Revis, " Fathy Foods "; and from Imperial Institute Records, Q A sample of oil prepared in British Gniana gave similar results. Open tnbe method. $ Five samples of oil examined. I I Capillary tube methort--coniplc te fusion.11 It(( ?el Species. 4 u o c o mici Species. (' Large Panama ) ) nuts Paraguay kernels (' Cokerite )' kernels Yopu.lar or native 'names .. " Bsssoba ) ) ( ( Babassu " '( COCO Babassu ) ) Brazil ( ( Cohune ') '( C o p n ') " Cahoun " British Honduras South America Sout5h Anierics Origin . . . . .. .. South America Brit,ish Guisna Cdmposition of residual meal (calculated to contain 7 per cent. of f a t ) : Moisture, per cent. ..8.5 23-2 22.0 1.2 7.0 45.9 10.6 4.5 9.5 22.4 20.0 1.5 7.0 40.0 16.1 5.0 8.4 10.0 10.0 nil 7.0 62-9 9.5 2.2 8.7 31.6 31.4 0.2 7.0 35.5 11.7 5.5 8.6 15.0 14.7 0.3 7.0 52.5 12.6 4.8 9.4 17.8 - - 8.2 50.6 10.1 3.9 10.7 17.1 - - .8.2 51.1 9.5 3.4 11.9 21-8 - - 8.4 42.6 9.4 5.9 Crude proteins, per cent,. . . True proteins, per cent. . . Other nitrogenous sub- stances, per cent. Fat, per cent. .. . . Carbohydrates, per cent. . . Fibre, per cent. . . .. Ash, per cent. . . .. Nutrient ratio . . . . 1 : 2.7 121.4 1 : 2.5 113.0 1 : 7.9 105.4 1 : 1.6 132.0 1 : 4.4 108.0 1 : 3.9 116 1 : 4.1 114 1 : 2.8 118 Food units . . .. ..302 SOME NEW OIL-SEEDS DERIVED FROM AMERICAN PALMS The fibrous pericarp contained 12 per cent. of moisture and 15 per cent. of semi- solid oil resembling palm oil (Elceis guiaeensis) in character; this oil had saponifica- tion value 212, iodine value 51-4 per cent., and titer test 25.5" C.The nuts usually contain two or three kernels, but sometimes only one is present. The kernels are covered with a greyish-brown mottled skin, the flesh is whitish and resembles that of West African palm kernels in consistency. The kernel oil is cream-coloured and fairly hard, and resembles palm-kernel oil in its chemical constants, but yields smaller quantities of soluble and insoluble volatile acids. The residual cake contains only 15 per cent.of protein, and would have a feeding value inferior to that of palm-kernel cake. Conclusions.-The kernels of the various species of palms dealt with in the present paper are, with the exception of those derived from a species of Astromryum, as rich in fat or even richer than those of ordinary West African palm kernels, enormous quantities of which are used as a source of oil and oil cake.They seem destined, therefore, to form valuable additions to the oil-seeds now utilised as sources of fat in the edible fat industry. The nuts of Acrocomia species and Astromryum species do not offer any particular difficulty in the way of exploitation, as the shells can be cracked by machinery such as is already used for ordinary palm nuts in West Africa (Elceis guineensis) (see Bulletin of the Imperial Institute, 1909, 7, 385).In the case of Babassu and Cohune nuts the problem of extracting the kernels from the fruits is a difficult one.The fruits have a fibrous pericarp, the removal of which is generally regarded as necessary before the nuts can be cracked; further, the nut shell is thick and hard, and the usual presence of several kernels in Babassu nuts and the occasional presence of more than one kernel in Cohune nuts also tends to render cracking difficult. Several machines have been designed and patented both for removing the fibrous pericarp and for cracking the nuts, but comparatively little is known about their efficiency. Hand-cracking is slow and laborious, but is, nevertheless, a method which has been employed for obtaining large quantities of Babassu kernels in Brazil, while enormous quantities of West African palm kernels are still obtained in this way. The authors desire to express their thanks to Mr. R. G. Pelly and to Dr. J. R. Furlong for advice'and assistance received in carrying out the work described in thie paper. SCIBNTIFIC UTD TECHNICAL BEBEARCH DIIYARTMENT, IMPERIAL INITITUTE, S. W.