VEGETABLE OILS AND FATS [A. FATTY OR FIXED].
(Fa. Hut d'Amandes).—The almond (see Fruit—Almonds, p. 1022) yields two oils : an essential or volatile oil, described in a separate section (see p. 1416); and a fixed or fatty oil, now to be discussed. This latter is afforded by both sweet and bitter varieties, to the extent of 55-60 per cent. For its extraction, the fruit is chosen recently gathered, but not too fresh. The sweet almonds are crushed unpeeled, the bitter are peeled, and deprived of their essential oil. They are shaken up in tt bag, and crushed to paste ; the latter is put into bags, and pressed. Perfumers, in order to obtain whiter cakes and a superior "paste," plunge them into boiling water, to separate the skins, but this method of proceeding is apt to provoke the rancidity of the oil, and thus diminish its value. Bitter almonds are generally preferred to sweet, as being cheaper, and leaving a useful cake for perfumers. The most esteemed oil is obtained from the almonds of Majorca. The manufacture is carried on principally iu Spain, Italy, and S. France. The yield of oil on an industrial scale is said to be 1 lb. 6 oz. by cold expression, and an additional 12 oz. by hot expression, from 51 lb. of almonds. The oil has a clear yellow colour, and agreeable flavour ; it is without odour, and very fluid ; its sp. gr. is at 15° (59° F.) ; it thickens and deposits stearine at — 10° (14° F.), assumes a butter-like con sistence at — 20° (— 4° F.), and solidifies completely at — 25° (— 13° F.); it contains 24 per cent. of stearine, and 76 of oleine ; it dissolves readily in ether, and in alcohol (25 parts cold, 6 hot). It is employed chiefly by perfumers, hut also in medicine. It is frequently adulterated up to 50 per cent. with gingelly-oil, poppy-oil, mustard-oil, and peach-kernel-oil.
American (FR Suif de Virola).—The "American nutmeg" called Virola sebifera [Myristica sebifera], known as jejomadon to the Creoles, and as malagueto de montana in Panama, is common in the forests of Guiana and N. Brazil, and extends as far as Panama. The seeds are there bruised, and macerated in boiling water, when a fatty substance separates from them, floats on the water, and solidifies by cooling. This solid fat is transported to Europe in the form of bricks, and has been received in considerable quantities. The yield from the seeds is stated at 26 per cent. The fat is completely soluble in alcohol, ether, and potash ley ; its fusing-point is 44° (111° F.); it forme a hard soap, and is admirably adapted for making candles, which burn with a pleasant aromatic odour.
(FR., Hulk d'Argan).—The seed-kernels of the argan tree (Argania Sideroxylon [Elcsodendron Aryan, Sideroxylon spinosum]) afford a valuable fatty oil. The tree is found native only in the sub-littoral zone of S.-W. Morocco, where it is common between the rivers Tensift and
Sous. A few scattered specimens are said to occur north of the Tensift, and the tree seems to be not infrequent in the hilly district between the Sous and the Oued Noun. Thus its area comprises a total length of about 200 miles, and a breadth extending from near the coast to a distance of 30 40 miles inland. At different times, the seed has been procured and distributed to various colonies, but its slow growth has led to disappointment. At Saharunpore, it did not survive, though probably well suited to N.-W. India. A tree in the Hobart Town Gardens has been fruiting for some years. In Morocco, the tree flowers in the middle of June, and the fruit remains on the tree during the greater part of the year. The young fruit sets in the end of July or beginning of August, and grows slowly till the rainy season commences, towards the end of September. It then enlarges rapidly, and attains its full size during that season, so that, by the middle or end of March, it is ripe enough to he gathered for economic uses. The prominent feature of the tree is the hardihood with which it withstands drought. The harvest ing of the seed - kernels and extraction of the oil are performed in the following manner: In the end of March, camels, goats, sheep and cows are driven into the argan woods, when the fruits are shaken down from the trees. The green fleshy pericarp is greedily eaten by these animals, who afterwards reject the seed-kernels. The latter are collected by the peasants, and taken home. The hard bony shells are cracked between stones, and the inner white kernels are carefully extracted. These are roasted on plates of iron or pottery, and stirred constantly meanwhile, until they have a brown colour all over, without being charred on the outside. When the kernels have cooled, they are ground into a thick meal ; this is placed in a vessel, moistened occasionally with warm water, and stirred and kneaded with the hand unceasingly, until the mass becomes so hard that it can no longer be kneaded. The harder the mass becomes, the more perfectly is the oil liberated. Finally, cold water is sprinkled over it, to expel the last traces of oil. During the operation, the oil escapes at the sides, and is poured into a clean receptacle at intervals. The main 4 T points needing attention are that the kneading shall be thorough, and that the hot water used shall not exceed what is actually necessary. The residual cake is an excellent cattle-food. The oil, when it has settled, has a clear light-brown colour, and a rancid odour and flavour. It is an im portant domestic oil among the Moors, being used as a substitute for olive-oil. The annual production is estimated at 1000 cwt. for the whole region. It is said that none whatever is exported.