Buffalo gourd

The domestication of this plant is currently underway in Arizona. It may become a more profitable oilseed crop than sunflower in the high plains area of the south-western United States due to its potentially 

Berry et al. (1978) investigated the chemical composition of buffalo gourd root. The composition of the whole root on a dry weight basis was 10.9% protein, 9.7% lipid, 3.2% sugars, 54.5% starch and 4.8% lignin. The root oil is very different from the seed oil with the former containing a high level of linolenic acid (44%) (Table 5.8). 

The phospholipid fraction comprised 2.9% of the crude oil. The composition is 55.8% PC, 18.7% PE, 17.2% PI, 2.8% LpoPC and 5.5% others (Scheerens and Berry, 1986). The composition is very similar to soybean lecithins and may indicate possible commercial uses. The fatty acid profile of isolated phospholipids revealed interesting contrasts to common patterns of the triglycerides fraction. Greater proportions of myristic and palmitic acids (7.4% and 21.45%) were found in the phospholipid fraction. 

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Figure 2. Scanning electron micrograph of a mesophyll cell of a dormant cotyledon of Buffalo gourd (Cucurbita foetidissima). Tissue was fixed in aqueous glutaraldehyde, dehydrated with ethanol and critically point dried. Note cell wall (W) and intracellular components including protein bodies (P) and emptied spherosomes that appear as a cytoplasmic reticulum.

Recent nutritional evaluations of cucurbit seeds have accentuated the currently popular Buffalo gourd ( . foetidissima) and are shown in Table III. PER (protein efficiency ratio) values of full-fat and natural and autoclaved fat-free meals fed to weanling... 

Buffalo gourd (Cucurbita foetidissima). The buffalo gourd is a vine-Uke plant that grows in semiarid regions of the United States, Mexico, Lebanon, and India. The seed contains good quality oil (32-39%) and protein. The oil is very variable in fatty acid composition, thus lending itself to seed breeding. A typical sample contains 16 0 (9%), 18 0 (2%), 18 1 (25%), and 18 2 (62%) (88). 

Bromoheptadecanoic acid, 346 11-Bromoundecanoic acid, 344, 346-48, 363, 366, 368 Buffalo gourd oil, 56 Bulhead, 134 Buoyancy, 148 Burbot, 136 Butane-1,4-diol, 154 Butanoic acid, 1, 350, 351 Butolic acid, 19... 

Buffalo gourd Seed 24-36 Vasconcellos and Berry (1982), Berry... 

TROPICAL fruits A SOURCE OF LIPIDS Table 5.8 Fatty acid composition of buffalo gourd seed and root 133... 

Berry, J.W., Scheerens, J.C. and Bemis, W.P. (1978) Buffalo gourd roots chemical composition and seasonal changes in starch content. J. Agric. Food Chem. 26, 354-356. 

Gathman, A.C., and Bemis, W.P. (1983) Heritability of fatty acid composition of buffalo gourd seed oil. J. Heredity 74, 199-200. 

Khoury, N.N., Dagher, S. and Sawaya, W. (1982) Chemical and physical characteristics, fatty acid composition and toxicity of buffalo gourd oil, Cucurbita foetidissima. J. Food Technol. 17, 19-26. 

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