Avocado oil
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
Description
A pale green, edible, nondrying oil. Avocado oil is obtained from the fruits of the avocado tree, Persea americana, that is native to tropical America. The unsaturated oil is present in avocado fruits in concentrations of 10-25%. It contains Oleic acid (77%), Linoleic acid (1.8%), Palmitic acid (6.9%), Stearic acid (0.7%) with small amounts of myristic and arachidic acids. Avocado oil also contains Lecithin, phytostearin, and mannoketoheptose. The oil was used by the Maya for treating burns. Currently avocado oil is used in salad oils, cosmetics, lotions and conditioners.
Synonyms and Related Terms
Persea americana; alligator pear oil; aceite de aguacate (Esp.); olio di avocado (It)
Physical and Chemical Properties
Acid value = 1-7; Iodine value = 71-95; Saponification value = 177-198
| Melting Point | 7-9 C |
|---|---|
| Density | 0.91 g/ml |
| Refractive Index | 1.461-1.465 |
Resources and Citations
- G.S.Brady, Materials Handbook, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1971 Comment: p. 78
- Richard S. Lewis, Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 10th ed., 1993
- Random House, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Grammercy Book, New York, 1997
- The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998