Oils of Plant Origin

All the edible oils (with the sole exception of oleomargarine-type products) are of plant origin. IMth regard to the processes used to recover plant oils, it is practical to divide them into fruit and oilseed oils. While only two fruits are of economic importance in oil production, the number of oilseed sources is enormous. 

The oils are sold and consumed as pure oil from a single oilseed plant or fruit plant, for exanqtle, olive, sunflower or com oils, or are marketed and used as blended oils, which are generally designated as edible, cooking, frying, table or salad oil. 

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Expectorants are the drugs which increase the production of bronchial secretion and reduce its viscosity to facilitate its removal by coughing. Expectorants can stimulate the expulsion of respiratory secretion either directly or reflexly. Certain volatile oils of plant origin such as oil of lemon, anise, eucalyptus by steam inhalation route increase the respiratory secretion by its direct action. Another compound, guaiacol, which is obtained from wood creosote or synthetically prepared, directly increase bronchial secretion and syrup tolu (Tolu balsum) act in same way. 

Other adverse physiological effects may show up, e.g. natural oils of plant origin contain a lot of lipid soluble vitamins. Replacement of natural oils by synthetic fats exempt of vitamins may influence the uptake of other lipids and lead to a plentitude of physiological disturbances due to lack of essential lipids and vitamins. 

People in many villages are familiar with the use of crude jatropha oil or other oils of plant origin (for example, castor oil) for the purposes of lighting and lubrication. The crude jatropha oil cannot travel up the wick in a lamp due to its high viscosity, and can thus be used only in very shallow lamps. 

However, replacement of marine fish oils with alternate oils of plant origin in the farmed fish feeds should occur not only to provide the sufficient quantities of lipids that meet fish essential fatty acid requirements for optimum growth, but also to maintain proper immune function in fish (Montero et al., 2003). Thus, the use of vegetable oils as a sole lipid source is limited. 

The fatty acid pattern in animal fats is strongly influenced by the fatty acid composition of animal feed. A steady state is established only after 4—6 months of feeding with the same feed composition. The example of chicken egg (Table 3.16) indicates that positions 1 and 3 in triglycerides of animal origin show much greater variability than in fats or oils of plant origin. Therefore, any prediction of TG types in animal fat should be calculated from three separate fatty acid pools l-random-2-random-3-random hypothesis). 

The specific distribution of saturated fatty acids in the triglycerols of fats and oils of plant origin serves as an evidence of ester oils. 

The positional specific distribution of palmitic acid is unfavorable for the use of fats and oils of plant origin in infant food, as this acid is liberated by fipolysis in the gastric tract. Palmitic acid then forms insoluble salts with Ca +-ions from the food, possibly resulting in severe bilious attacks. The fatty acids of human milk consist of up to 25% of palmitic acid 70% are bound to the 2-position of the triglycerols. During lipol-ysis 2-monopalmitin is formed that is easily resorbed. 

Sterols with a-oriented C-4 methyl groups occur in oils of plant origin. The main compounds are ... 

Essential oils occur mainly in aromatic plants. A few of them are found in animal sources, e.g. musk, civet and sperm whale, or are produced by microorganisms [1, 3, 6, 23, 25, 26, 29-33]. The Council of Europe describes essential oil as a product obtained from vegetable raw material [27]. Owing to a ban on animal-based flavour and fragrance materials, essential oils of trade are entirely of plant origin... 

The organ fats of domestic animals, such as cattle and hogs, and milk fat are important raw materials for fat production. Edible oils are mostly of plant origin. Olive oil and palm oil are extracted from fruits. All other oils are extracted from oilseeds. The world production of oilseeds and other crops has significantly increased in recent years to meet the growing needs for oils and fats in the world. 

The health and welfare interest in long-chain omega-3 fatty acids inevitably raises the question of where do they come from and are they safe. The latter question applies to oils and will be addressed in a production and quality section, but in reality, most fatty acids are of plant origin and perfectly safe. 

The formulator needs to know the properties of each antioxidant. For example, most of the antioxidants are easily distilled by heat or steam. Propyl gallate will form strong purple complexes with iron. The preservative effects of antioxidants also can be enhanced by addition of metal chelating agents like citric acid. Furthermore, many crude feedstuffs of plant origin, including soybean meal, crude soybean oil, and lecithin, contain a variety of natural quinone-type compounds with beneficial antioxidant properties that do not require labeling. 

Fixed oils and fats are naturally occurring products, usually of plant origin, that are used extensively in pharmaceutical formulation. They are very susceptible to oxidative decomposition (a process called rancidity) and special precautions must be taken to control their stability and prevent their decomposition. Compounds of this type exist as complex mixtures of structurally similar oils, the composition of which can vary from year to year depending on factors such as climate, time of harvest, etc. Chemically, fixed oils and fats are esters of the alcohol glycerol (propane-1,2,3-triol) with three molecules of long-chain carboxylic acids, called fatty acids, which may all be the same or may differ depending on the oil (Figure 8.15). 

The consistency of fats depends on the content of unsaturated fatty acid residues. The oils of plant and fish origin are rich in long-chain polyenic fatty acids. 

Calamus grows wild in India, China, Europe, and North America, and the phytochemical profile of the plant material varies according to origin. The essential oil of plants from India contains up to 75% p-asarone see Alkenylbenzenes in Appendix 1), while the oil of calamus from Japan and eastern Russia contains 10-40%, oil from European plants contains... 

Dichloromethane is used as a noncombustible solvent and extractant for oils, fats, waxes, fish oil, etc. from industrial and animal products, as well as caffeine, hops, castor oil, cocoa butter, and ethereal oils from substances of plant origin. It is used in the deparaffination of petroleum and the azeotropic dewatering of solvents. Dichloromethane is a constituent of paint-removal pastes and baths, but is increasingly being replaced by aqueous systems. It is used as a solvent in the production of cellulose-acetate-based or cellulose-acetobutyrate-based films and is employed industrially in the leather, metal, rubber, adhesives, and plastics industries. 

Conifer wood, balm trees, citrus fruits, coriander, eucalyptus, lavender, lemon grass, lilies, carnation, caraway, peppermint species, roses, rosemary, sage, thyme, violet and many other plants or parts of those (roots, rhizomes, stems, leaves, blossoms, fruits, seed) are well known to smell pleasantly, to taste spicy, or to exhibit specific pharmacological activities. Terpenes predominantly shape these properties. In order to enrich terpenes, the plants are carved, e.g. for the production of incense or myrrh from balm trees usually, however, terpenes are extracted or steam distilled, e.g. for the recovery of the precious oil of the blossoms of specific fragrant roses. These extracts and steam distillates, known as ethereal or essential oils ("essence absolue") are used to create fine perfumes, to refine the flavor and the aroma of food and drinks and to produce medicines of plant origin (phytopharmaca). 

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