Detoxification experiments with the seed oil from Jatropha curcas L.

Due to its large number of potential utilizations Jatropha curcas L. (physic nut, purging nut), a tropical plant cultivated in many Latin American, Asian and African countries, has become topic of various research projects. Nutritional as well as technical applications, however, are restricted due to the plant's toxicity. The seed oil contains phorbol esters, a family of compounds known to cause a large number of biological effects such as tumor promotion and inflammation. Therefore it is necessary to nd feasable routes for detoxification of the oil. J. curcas seed oil was treated by traditional oil refining processes examining the effect on the content of phorbol esters. Parameters of several refining steps were varied to optimize the grade of detoxification. Almost no effect could be observed with degumming and deodorization, whereas the steps of deacidification and bleaching could reduce the content of phorbol esters up to 55%. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.