14B-48

Y. KAKUDA, F. Jahaniaval, M. F. Marcone, L. Montevirgen, and Q. Montevirgen. Department of Food Science, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1

Information on the physicochemical properties of pili nut oil (Canarium Luzonicum) will promote the utilization and development of novel applications of this new oil.

Our objectives were to characterize the pili nut oil in terms of chemical composition and physicochemical properties and compare them to cocoa butter and olive oil.

The fatty acid and triacylglycerol (TAGs) composition of pili nut oil were analyzed by GC and RP-HPLC. The physicochemical properties were studied by DSC and p-NMR.

Our results show that the oil obtained by solvent extraction was low in polyunsaturated fatty acids and high in saturates. The polyunsaturated fatty acids (18:2 and 18:3) were less than 11%, whereas palmitic acid and stearic acid were 33.3% and 10.9% respectively. The saturated fatty acid level was reduced from 44.5% to 35.5% and the unsaturated fatty acid levels increased from 55.6% to 65% by fractional crystallization.

The TAGs analyses show that the oil hard fraction (HF) consisted of POP, POS and SOS+SSO in the proportion of 48.6: 38.8: 8.7%, respectively. The analysis of pili nut HF indicated that the melting range and solid fat content (SFC) of pili nut HF were very similar to those in cocoa butter and olive oil. The POP content in pili nut HF plays an important role in thermal behavior, and changes the melting range of HF as its ratio changes. It was suggested that the pili nut HF, may be a viable substitute for cocoa butter in confectionery products.