THE COMPOSITION OF PILI-NUT OIL 



By A. P. West 

 'niversity of the Philippines; Forest Products 



Sofronio Balce 



Instructor in Chemistry, University of the Philippines 



INTRODUCTION 



Several species of the genus Canarium bear edible nuts which 

 have a fine flavor and yield a valuable oil. According to Lew- 

 kowitsch, 1 Java almond oil is obtained from the seeds of Cana- 

 rium commune, which is a tree indigenous to the Moluccas and 

 Malabar. It is cultivated in tropical Asia, where the seeds 

 serve as a foodstuff in place of sweet almonds. 



Canarium oleosum and Canarium polyphyllum also yield seeds 

 very similar to those obtained from Canarium commune. 



Pastfovich 2 examined the oil obtained from the seeds of 

 Canarium commune. When subjected to pressure the seeds 

 yield 56.1 per cent of oil which is pale yellow and has a pleasant 

 taste. On standing "stearine" separates out at 15° C. The 

 percentage of unsaponifiable matter in the oil was found to be 

 0.44. The fatty acids separated by the lead-salt-ether method 

 consist of 44.6 per cent saturated acids and 55.4 per cent un- 

 saturated acids. The saturated acids contained palmitic and 

 stearic acids. The unsaturated acids gave no hexabromides, 

 showing the absence of linolenic acid. The fatty acids consist 

 approximately of 44.6 per cent palmitic and stearic acids, 43 

 per cent oleic acid, and 12.5 per cent linolic acid. 



In the Philippines, oil obtained from the seeds of Canarium 

 ovatum is known as pili-nut oil. Canarium ovatum is a tree 

 which reaches a height of about 20 meters and a diameter of 



1 Lewkowitsch, J., Chemical Technology and Analysis of Oils, Fats, and 

 Waxes 2 (1913) 382. 



