Fatty Acid Composition of Seed Oil of Calophyllum inophyllum

Abstract

Calophyllum inophyllum L. is a multi-purpose tree found growing along the coastal regions and widely distributed along the sea coasts of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. All parts of the plant are used for curing many diseases by the Nicobarese, a tribal community of Islands.  The extracted seed oil is used for traditional health cure. Calophyllum inophyllum is also utilized for biodiesel production. GC-MS analysis of seed oil showed the presence of both saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. The major saturated fatty acid is palmitic acid (18.74%). The major unsaturated fatty acid present is the oleic acid (44.51%) followed by linoleic (21.02%) and stearic acid (15.51%). The presence of unsaturated fatty acids is in higher proportion and they have enormous health benefits. This species have wide scope for industrial exploitation and it may also serve as a major feed stock for non edible biodiesel production.