The component acids and glycerides of dika fat

The component fatty acids of a West African dika fat were found to be capric 1.6, lauric 43.0, myristic 46.4, palmitic 6.2, oleic 2‐6, linoleic 0.2% (wt.). Exhaustive crystallization of a portion of the fat failed to resolve it into any one individual triglyceride fraction. The chief component glycerides present were found to be trilaurin 7.1, myristodilaurin 32‐5, caprolauro‐myristin 5.2, lauromyristopalmitin 13.1, laurodimyristin 28.7, trimyristin 5.1, and oleolauromyristin 5.1%. The experimental evidence indicates that the tri‐acid glycerides are the components primarily responsible for the lack of sharp resolution on crystallization. Further, it shows that this fat is built up according to the general principle of even distribution, although the values for its component glycerides accord tolerably well with those computed for random distribution. This circumstance is due to the increased number of component acids present, and does not connote any essential difference in the mode of synthesis of the fat in the seed.