14 
Indian Forest Records. 
[VoL. IX. 
PART V. 
THE FAT FROM THE SEEDS OF GARCINIA CAMBOGIA. 
Garcinia Cambogia is a small evergreen tree occurring in the ever- 
green forests of the Malabar coast and the Western Ghats up to 6,000 
feet in the Nilgiris. It also occurs in Ceylon. 
The fat does not appear to be used locally but the fruit is used as a 
tamarind substitute in the preparation of curries. 
Although the fat from G. Cambogia has not been previously examined, 
a number of fats from other species of Garcinia have been described. 
The most important are those obtained from G. Morelia known as 
Gamboge butter and G. indica known as Kokum butter. The properties 
' of these fats are described by Lewkowitsch (op. cit. pp. 551, 597, 600.). 
The fat from G. Cambogia resembled in its general properties the fats 
from the other species of Garcinia and provided it is available in suffi- 
cient quantity should prove of equal economic value. 
Experimental. 
The seeds after grinding to a fine meal were extracted with light 
petroleum when a yield of 36 per cent, of fat calculated on the dry ker- 
nels was obtained. The fat which had a granular structure was nearly 
colourless and had the following constants : — M. P. 29 5°, acid value 
5'0, saponification value 203-5, acetyl value nil, iodine value 52-5, 
unsaponifiable matter I'O, Reichert-Meissl value 0-2, titre test 51-2°. 
A quantity of the fat was saponified with alcoholic potassium hydrox- 
ide solution and the solid and liquid acids separated by their lead salts 
when 100 grammes of fat gave 50 grammes of solid acids and 23 grammes 
of liquid acids. 
Identification of the solid acid. 
The solid acid consisted apparently of pure stearic acid since after 
crystallisation from alcohol it melted at 69-5° and this melting point 
was not altered on admixture with stearic acid from another source. 
0102 gave 0-2833 COj and 0113 H^O, C=75-7, H=12-3. 
CisHjeOj requires 0=76-1, H=12-7 per cent. 
The amide crystallised in needles and melted 110.° 
[ 108 ] 
