270 The Philippine Journal of Science 192s 



40 centimeters. This species is very abundant in southern 

 Luzon. The fruits are 6 to 7 centimeters in length and consist 

 of hard, thick-shelled triangular nuts surrounded by a small 

 amount of pulp. This pulp, which is edible when cooked, also 

 contains an oil that is occasionally extracted locally and used 

 for lighting and cooking. 



Pili nuts are rich in oil and when roasted have a delicious 

 flavor. They are used in making confections and, by many, are 

 considered superior to almonds. Pili-nut oil is light yellow, has 

 an agreeable odor and taste, and is suitable for culinary pur- 

 poses. The keeping quality of the oil is very good, as shown by 

 the fact that a sample stored for about six months had no rancid 

 taste or odor and the acid value was only 1.42. It is said 3 that 

 an average tree produces about 33 kilograms of pili nuts in one 

 year. 



Brill and Agcaoili 4 analyzed the kernels of pili nuts and 

 determined the constants of the oil. Their results showed that 

 the kernels contain about 74 per cent of fat and that the oil 

 has an iodine value of about 59 to 61 and a saponification value 

 of 186 to 192. 



SAMPLE 



The sample of pili-nut oil used in this investigation Was ob- 

 tained from pili nuts purchased in one of the markets in Manila. 

 The hard shell of the nuts was broken with a hammer. The 

 kernels were removed and ground into a meal, which was placed 

 in a small press and the oil separated from the oil cake. When 

 the oil was allowed to stand a few hours a small amount of 

 "stearine" separated out. This was removed by filtration and 

 the clear oil stored in glass-stoppered bottles. The constants of 

 this sample of pili-nut oil are given in Table 1. 

 Table 1.— Constants of pili-nut oil 

 Specific gravity ~- 0.9069 



Refractive index at 30° 1.4646 



Iodine value (Hubl) 55.9 



Saponification value 197.4 



Acid value ^42 



Unsaponifiable matter (per cent) o!l9 



•West, A. P., and Brown, W. H., Bull. Philip. Bureau Forestry 20 

 (1920) 114. 



4 Brill, H. C., and Agcaoili, F., Philip. Journ. Sci. S A 10 f 19151 114. 



