Oils and Fats. 



218 



f September, 1908. 



nutmegs was foruiely imported into 

 India from Banda, and was known as 

 Jatvitri-ka-tel or oil of mace. It was 

 brought into European commerce via 

 Holland, in oblong cakes having nearly 

 the form of common bricks, but some- 

 what smaller and packed in monocoty- 

 ledonous leaves, commonly called " lig 

 leaves." At the present time much of 

 the oil is manufactured in Europe, and 

 put up in the same shape, but packed in 

 paper. "When discolured and hardened 

 by age, the oil is called " Banda soap." 

 Oil of mace is manufactured by exposing 

 imperfect and broken nutmegs, reduced 

 to a paste and enclosed in a bag to steam, 

 and then pressing the bag between 

 heated iron plates. The yield is about 

 20 to 30 per cent. 



Nutmeg butter is used in Europe in the 

 manufacture of scented oils, perfumes 

 and soaps, and as a flavouring agent in 

 cooking and confectionery A great 

 point in its favour is that it does not 

 turn rancid, even after long storage, on 



account of the small quantity of essen- 

 tial oil combined with it. 



A few references will now be made to 

 the foreign nutmegs that have been 

 utilised for their fat. 



Conclusion. 



These few notes show that the wild 

 nutmegs of India, like the wild nutmegs 

 of foreign countries and the cultivated 

 nutmegs of Malaya, yield a fat of con- 

 siderable value to soap and candle 

 makers. The question to be solved is in 

 regard to the quantity of the material 

 available. If the seeds of Myristica 

 canarica could be obtained in large quan- 

 tities when the tree fruits, there would 

 be a ready market for them, since they 

 compare favourably with seeds obtained 

 from the same natural family in other 

 parts of the world. The seeds and mace 

 of the M. malabarica have also a certain 

 economic value which it appears most 

 desirable to extend. — Agricultural Led- 

 ger, 1907, No. 3. Vegetable Product Series 

 No. 102. 



