November, 1909.] 



399 



OILS AND FATS. 



OILS AND OIL-SEEDS- 



(Report on the Work of the Imperial 

 Institute, 1908, No. 601, July, 1909.) 

 Countries of Origin.— Sudan, British 

 East Africa, Uganda, Rhodesia, Trans- 

 vaal, Sierra Leone, Gold Coast, Southern 

 Nigeria, Northern Nigeria, India, Feder- 

 ated Malay States, West Indies, British 

 Guiana, Australia, Fiji, Portuguese East 

 Africa, Mexico. 



No. of oils and oil-seeds received in 1908 ... 66 

 No. of oils and oil-seeds reported on in 1908... 53 



Fruits and Seeds op Balanites 

 Aegyptiaca — A sample of "Heglig" 

 (Balanites cegyptiaca) fruits was re- 

 ceived from the Sudan. The oil from 

 the seed-kernels was regarded by ex- 

 perts as equal in value to refined cotton- 

 seed oil, but the commercial prospects 

 of the ft nits were not considered to be 

 very favourable, owing to the difficulty 

 of extracting the kernels. The latter 

 would probably be worth about £5 or 

 £6 per ton, Samples of the oil and seed 

 from Northern Nigeria were also ex- 

 amined. As the oil of Balanites aegypti- 

 aca is reputed by the natives of Uganda 

 to be of value as a remedy for sleeping 

 sickness, specimens of the fruits and 

 oil were submitted to pharmacological 

 tests, which, however, gave negative 

 results. 



Fruits, Seeds, and Oil op Bassia 

 spp. — Samples of the fruits, seeds, and 

 fat of Bassia latifolia and B. longifolia, 

 and of the seeds and fat of B. buiyracea 

 from India were examined, and results 

 were obtained which were fairly in ac- 

 cord with those of previous observers, 

 and showed that the fats would be of 

 value for edible use or for soap-making. 



Beeswax.— Samples of beeswax from 

 the Sudan and the Gold Coast were ex- 

 amined and found to be of good quality. 



Seeds op Carapa spp.— Seeds of 

 Carapa procera from Sierra Leone were 

 found to yield an oil which was valued 

 at £20 10s. per ton, whilst the seed- 

 kernels were regarded as worth about 

 £10 per ton. 



A sample of the seed of Carapa grandi- 

 flora, from Uganda, furnished an oil 

 valued at £21 to £26 per ton. The seed- 

 kernels were considered to be worth £5 

 to £6 per ton, assuming that the cake 

 could be sold at £2 per ton. 



Castor Oil Seeds.— Castor oil seeds 

 from North- Western Rhodesia were of 

 good quality, and were regarded by 

 manufacturers as worth 5s. per ton 



more than East Indian castor seed. At 

 the end of the year, three samples from 

 Fiji were under investigation. 



Dika Nuts.— Five samples of Dika nuts 

 were received from Southern Nigeria. 

 Experts reported that the fat obtainable 

 from these seeds possesed a value equal 

 to that of palm-kernel oil (£27 5s. per 

 ton), and stated that Dika kernels would 

 be readily saleable. Unfortunately, 

 however, the nuts do not appear to be 

 obtainable in large quantities at a low 

 cost. 



Lophira Alata Seeds.— Three con- 

 signments of the seeds of Lophira alata 

 were received from Sierra Leone. The 

 oil was valued by experts at £1 or £2 

 per ton in advance of cotton-seed oil. 



Mafoureira Seeds (Trichilia emeti- 

 ca). — Samples of Mafoureira seeds were 

 received from the Transvaal and Portu- 

 guese East Africa. The seeds were sub- 

 mitted to experts for technical trial. 

 The fat, however, proved to be dark 

 coloured and difficult to bleach, and 

 was therefore unsuitable for the better 

 qualities of soap, and would only real- 

 ise the price of a "soft, off -coloured 

 tallow." The cake is unsuitable for 

 feeding purposes, as it is bitter, and 

 probably emetic. A price of £9 5s. 

 per ton has been offered for the seeds in 

 this country. 



Owphalea Megacarpa Seeds.— The 

 seeds of Omphalea megacarpa were 

 found to yield a pale yellow, faintly bit- 

 ter oil, which is less viscous than castor 

 oil and differs to some extent in its chemi- 

 cal constants. The pharmacological acti- 

 vity of the oil has been studied by 

 Professor Cash, F.R.S., who regards it as 

 a valuable, non-irritant cathartic. 



Para Rubber-seed Oil (Hevea brasi- 

 liensis). — Samples of Para rubber seeds 

 and oil were received from the Feder- 

 ated Malay States. The results 

 of their examination confirmed the 

 opinion that the oil could be used for 

 the same purposes as linseed oil. A ton 

 of oil, or five tons undecorticated seeds, 

 was requested for technical trials on a 

 manufacturing scale. 



Pycnanthus Seeds and "Mace."— 

 Samples of the nuts and mace of Pycnan- 

 thus Schiveinfurthii were received from 

 Uganda. The seed-kernels yielded a 

 dark brown, solid fat, which would 

 need to be refined before it could be 

 used for soap-making. A firm of soap 

 manufacturers reported that probably 

 the nuts could not be utilised com- 

 mercially unless they are obtainable in 



