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Nutritional and toxicological evaluation of rubber seed oil
Author(s) -
Gandhi V. M.,
Cherian K. M.,
Mulky M. J.
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
journal of the american oil chemists' society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.512
H-Index - 117
eISSN - 1558-9331
pISSN - 0003-021X
DOI - 10.1007/bf02540511
Subject(s) - weanling , food science , hevea brasiliensis , fatty acid , edible oil , chemistry , natural rubber , biology , toxicology , biochemistry , organic chemistry , endocrinology
Rubber ( Hevea brasiliensis ) seed oil (RSO) is available in India (Ca. 4500 tons per year) and is used mainly as a drying oil. The oil does not contain any unusual fatty acids, and it is a rich source of essential fatty acids C 18∶2 and C 18∶3 that make up 52% of its total fatty acid composition. Acute toxic potential in rats and the systemic effects and nutritional quality were assessed in a 13 week feeding study in weanling albino rats using a diet containing RSO or groundnut oil (GNO) (as the control) at a 10% level as the sole source of dietary fat. RSO did not manifest any acute toxic potential. Food consumption, growth rate and feed efficiency ratio of rats fed RSO were similar to those fed GNO. The digestibility of this oil was found to be 97%, as compared to 94% for GNO. There were no macroscopic or microscopic lesions in any of the organs which could be ascribed to the RSO incroporation in the diet. Thus the current data show that RSO could be used for edible purposes. However, it will be necessary to process the oil to achieve deodorization and to remove free fatty acids to make it organoleptically acceptable.