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The fatty acids and glycerides of castor oil
Author(s) -
Gupta S. S.,
Hilditch T. P.,
Riley J. P.
Publication year - 1951
Publication title -
journal of the science of food and agriculture
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.782
H-Index - 142
eISSN - 1097-0010
pISSN - 0022-5142
DOI - 10.1002/jsfa.2740020603
Subject(s) - ricinoleic acid , glyceride , castor oil , chemistry , stearic acid , oleic acid , linoleic acid , organic chemistry , fatty acid , palmitic acid , food science , botany , chromatography , biochemistry , biology
The oils from 19 specimens of castor seed grown in widely different parts of Africa, America and Asia have been studied in detail‥. The seeds from different locations varied greatly in size (individual seeds weighing on the average from 0.13 to 0.74 g.), but the ratio of shell to kernel and the oil contents of the seeds did not, for the most part, differ materially. The component acids of nearly all the oils were remarkably similar. Of the total fatty acids, ricinoleic formed from 91.4 to 94.9%; of the minor component acids, linoleic was the most abundant (4.5–5%) and saturated acids (made up of about 40% palmitic and 60% stearic) amounted to somewhat over 1% as a rule. Oleic acid was present in extremely small proportions. The natural 9: 10‐dihydroxystearic acid (m.p. 141° c.) formed 0.7–1.0% of the total acids. The glyceride structure of a typical castor oil was studied. No mono‐ricinoleo‐glycerides could be detected, the oil being a mixture of triricinolein and glycerides with two ricinoleic and one other acyl group. The triricinolein content of a castor oil, on this basis, might, however, be anywhere between 73 and 85% according to the proportion (91–95%) of ricinoleic acid in the total fatty acids of the oil.