Nutritional composition of the kernels from Canarium album L.

The kernels from Canarium album L. (also called Chinese olive), largely cultivated in the southeast of China, were analyzed for their nutritional composition. The kernels had a high percentage of fats (52.8%) and proteins (29.5%). Soxhlet extracted kernel oil presented acid, iodine and saponification values of 0.56, 84.6 and 192, respectively. Gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) analysis of kernel oil revealed that oleic acid (30.5%) and linoleic acid (41.8%) were the major unsaturated fatty acids, while palmitic acid (18.0%), stearic acid (7.83%) and arachidic acid (0.39%) were the main saturated ones. Potassium, calcium and magnesium were the predominant mineral elements present in the kernels. Sodium, iron, manganese and zinc were also detected in appreciable amounts. The kernel proteins were rich in arginine, glutamic and aspartic acids (3.19%, 5.02% and 2.47%, respectively) while the limiting amino acids were methionine and lysine.