Volume VIII 



DECEMBER, 1917 



Part IV 



THE COMPARATIVE KEEPING QUALITIES OF 

 PALM KERNEL, COCONUT, GROUND-NUT AND 

 OTHER OIL-CAKES. 



By WILLIAM GODDEN. 



(Department of Agriculture, the University, Leeds.) 



One of the difficulties which hinder the extended use of the nut- 

 oil-cakes (palm kernel, coconut and ground-nut) is the prevalent impres- 

 sion that these cakes deteriorate rapidly on keeping. In recent articles 

 dealing with these cakes frequent reference has been made to this point. 

 Thus Voelcker(9) in his Annual Report for 1914 states that "one incon- 

 venience attaching to palm-nut and coconut cakes is that they do not 

 keep as well as linseed and cotton cakes and that there is a tendency 

 for them to turn rancid." In his Report for 1915, however, he says, 

 "I have come across but few instances either with palm-nut cake or 

 meal, in which these have been rancid or not in good condition." 

 Murray (8) states that manufacturers should realise that they still have 

 to reassure farmers regarding the keeping qualities of palm kernel cake. 

 In a later article in the Journal of the Board of Agriculture (i) it is stated 

 that "palm-nut kernel cakes in the past have had the reputation of soon 

 going rancid.... At the present day, before the kernels are crushed 

 they are subjected to a process of cooking, by which the ferment that 

 causes the oil to turn rancid is rendered inactive." The validity of 

 this latter assertion seems doubtful in the light of the recent work of 

 Calder(2) which shows that the lipase, present in the resting seed in the 

 form of its zymogen, is not destroyed during the manufacture of the 

 cake, the mass of crushed kernels not being sufficiently heated in every 

 part prior to pressing to secure this object completely. Similar state- 

 ments have been made as to the liability of coconut and ground-nut 

 cakes to become rancid on storing (3, 4). 



Journ of Agric Sci. vni 2? 



UBKARY 

 i*<EW YOKK 

 BUfANiCAft 



