34- Notes on the Fat of Garcinia indica, the so-called 



kokam butter. 



By Harold H. Mann and N. V. Kanitkar. 



Some very interesting data, contributed by Mr. D. Hooper, 

 with regard to the fats of various species of Garcinia appeared 

 in the Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal in 1907 ', and 

 the present note is "intended to supplement the information 

 contained in that article as far as it concerns the kokam butter 

 of Western India, obtained, as is well known, from the seeds of 



Garcinia indica. 



Full details with regard to this tree and the method of 

 extraction of the oil will be found in Watt's Dictionary of the 

 Economic Products of India 2 , but we may supplement that 

 account with a few additional facts. The kokam trees are 

 found chiefly in the two southern talukas (Malvan and Ven- 

 gurla) of the Ratnagiri district. Thirty- two villages in the for- 

 mer taluka and at least half the villages in the latter are 

 known to grow the tree. They are not cultivated or specially 

 planted but grow naturally on the so-called varkas or high, dry 

 land in these talukas. They are found particularly on the 

 slopes of, and in the valleys among, late rite hills. The extrac- 

 tion of kokam butter is a purely cottage industry, and no fac- 

 tories exist. The extracted butter, however, is chiefly taken 



to Bombay. 



We examined two samples of the butter, one of them extrac- 

 ted in the laboratory and the other purchased in the bazaar. 

 These gave the following constants, which we place side by 

 side with those given by Hooper for the sample (from the 

 Indian Museum) which he examined : 



Mann & Kanitkab. 



Sample pre- 

 pared in 

 laboratory. 



Sample 



bought in 



bazaar. 



Hoopeb. 



Specific Gravity at 50°C. 

 Melting point 

 Acid value 

 Saponification value 

 Iodine Value 

 Reichert Meissl value 

 Percentage of fatty acids 



•826 



•910 



43°C 



43°C 



24-8 



413 



194 



191 5 



35 3 



25-0 



•7 



•98 



94-2 i 



93 5 



1 The Fats of Garcinia species by Dav 

 Society of Bengal, Vol. Ill, page 257 (1907). 



2 Vol. III. 



Hooper. Journal, Asiatic 



