BULLETIN" 630, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



feces, etc. While there were no prescribed hours for eating, the 

 subjects were informed that regularity was desired and they were 

 requested to follow their normal daily routine as far as possible 



ALMOND OIL. 





Commercial almond oil is obtained by subjecting the seeds of 

 Prunus amygdalus to hydraulic pressure. Almond oil, of which 

 considerable quantities appear in commerce, is principally used in 

 the preparation of ointments, emulsions, and toilet soaps. It pos- 

 sesses, however, all the essentials characteristic of an edible oil, and 

 hence the question of its value as human food is an interesting one. 

 The literature shows no investigations of the digestibility of almond 

 oil as such. 



In a series of digestion experiments conducted to determine the 

 relative digestibility of fruits and nuts Jaffa 1 studied the digesti- 

 bility of almonds eaten in conjunction with bananas, apples, dates, 

 olives, and oranges combined in different ways. The total fat of 

 the diet was found to be 84 per cent digested. Inasmuch as 83 per 

 cent, or approximately 97 grams of the 117 grams of fat eaten daily, 

 was derived from the almonds, this value should very nearly repre- 

 sent the digestibility of almond oil when eaten as a constituent of 

 almonds. 



The almond oil studied in this investigation was prepared by ex- 

 pression from a supply of first quality sweet almond nuts purchased 

 in the open market. The oil which was obtained had no marked 

 flavor or odor and, judged by household tests, was a very satisfac- 

 tory table oil. It was incorporated in the usual cornstarch blanc- 

 mange and eaten by the four subjects who assisted in this study. 

 The results of the four experiments are included in the following 

 table : 



Data of digestion experiments with almond oil in a simple mixed diet. 





Weight 

 of foods. 





Constituents of foods. 





Experiment, subject, and diet. 



Water. 



Protein. 



Fat. 



Carbo- 

 hydrates. 



Ash. 



Experiment >To. 555, subject H. R. G.: 



Blancmange containing almond oil 



Grams. 



1,463.0 

 306.0 

 458.0 

 17.0 



Grams. 



672.0 



27.6 



398.0 



Grams. 



27.4 



32.4 



3.7 



Grams. 



170.9 



4.6 



0.9 



Grams. 



580.0 



236.5 



53.1 



17.0 



Grams. 



12.7 



4.9 



Fruit 



2.3 















Total food consumed 



2,244.0 

 77.0 



1,097.6 



63.5 

 24.6 

 38.9 



176.4 



6.7 



169.7 



886.6 

 40.0 

 846.6 



19.9 





5.7 







14.2 

















61.3 



96.2 



95.5 



71.4 

















»U. S. Dept. Agr., Office Expt. Stas. Bui. 132 (1903). 





