Simarouba glauca DC is a tree of the family Simaroubaceae, which grows well up to 1,000 m above sea level in all types of well-drained soils (pH 5.5 to 8.0) and in places with 250 to 2,500 mm annual rainfall. The seed oil has been extracted both by mechanical expelling and solvent extraction. The fatty acid composition and iodine value of the oil indicate that it possesses saturated (40.8-42.6%), monounsaturated (52.9-55.0%), and polyunsaturated (2.5-3.4%) fatty acid in ratios close to that of palm oil. These characteristics are suitable for its use as edible oil. Acute oral toxicity and safety evaluation in a 13-week feeding trial on albino rats showed that the oil is comparable to groundnut oil in all the parameters.

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The seeds of ambrette (Abelmoschus moschatus Linn), after selective extraction of fragrance from the seed coat, are flaked and extracted with hexane to obtain a fatty oil. The FA composition and iodine value of the oil indicate it possesses saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated FA in ratios close to the recommendations of the United Nations World Health Organization; these characteristics make it suitable as an edible oil. Acute oral toxicity and safety evaluation in a 13-wk feeding trial on albino rats showed the oil is comparable to groundnut oil in all the parameters and is suitable for edible use.

The lipid and FA compositions of TAG seed oil of ambrette (Hibiscus abelmoschus), contrary to earlier reports, were found to contain only a small amount of epoxy FA. Higher HBr absorption values were shown to be due to the presence of fragrance components of the seed coat in the oil derived from intact whole seeds. Cyclopropene/cyclopropane acids in the FAME were determined to be about 1.5% by GLC, while epoxy acids were less than 1% by two different methods. Based on the physicochemical characteristics and lipid and FA compositions of the fresh and methanol-extracted seeds, ambrette TAG oil may be a candidate for edible use. The process of selective recovery of the expensive fragrant oily concentrate in higher yield in a first step and of an edible fatty oil in a second step makes it an attractive economic proposal.Paper no. J10313 in JAOCS 80, 209-211 (March 2003). KEY WORDS:Ambrette seed, Hibiscus abelmoschus, lipid and fatty acid composition, Malvaceae, selective extraction.Hibiscus abelmoschus L. syn. Abelmoschus moschatus, Moerich of family Malvaceae, trivial name ambrette, is native to India (1). It is cultivated in the tropical regions of Asia, Africa, and South America for its seeds, which have a characteristic musky odor. The seeds contain about 16% of fatty oil. At present, the seeds are utilized only for the isolation of fragrance components, and the bulk of the TAG oil is wasted. Nee et al.(2) have shown that the essential (fragrant) oil is localized in the outer layers of the seed coat; it is practically absent in the embryo and the endosperm where the TAG oil is concentrated. These authors also studied the FA composition of the oil and did not report the presence of epoxy FA. Hopkins and Chisholm (3) first investigated whole seed oil and reported the presence of about 4% epoxy oleic acids determined by the HBr titration method. Hashmi et al. (4) reported abnormally high values of epoxy and cyclopropene acids (6.4 and 14.4%, respectively). The seed oil has not received any further attention, as the seeds are utilized to a limited extent only for the extraction of the whole oil for fragrance use. With the widening gap between supply and demand of edible and industrial fatty oils, we have examined ambrette as a nontraditional edible oil seed. Lower economic returns on cultivation of traditional crops under rain-fed conditions was the other consideration in examining ambrette as an alternative crop.Based on the results of Nee et al.(2), we decided to explore methods of obtaining the fragrance components and fatty oil separately. After making several unsuccessful attempts to separate the seed coat and embryo mechanically, we decided to try selective extraction of the whole seeds with polar solvents and found that the fragrance components were selectively extracted out. From the oleoresin obtained, a fragrant oily concentrate, free from fatty oils, was obtained in 0.3 to 0.35% yield. The physicochemical characteristics and FA and lipid compositions of the TAG oil obtained from the raffinate (selectively ...