Introduction
Among agricultural crops, seeds use for the extraction of fixed oils are rated in economic and commercial importance second only to cereals. Fixed oils are obtained from fruit pericarps and in some instances such as the palm, Elaeis guineensis (palmae), two oils differing in properties and chemical composition are obtained- the palm kernel oil from the endosperm and the palmoil from the orange yellow fleshy pericarp.
A naturally occurring mixture of lipids such as olive oil or oil of theobroma may be either solid or liquid hence the term “oil” or fat ceases to have any significance.
Coconut oil for example leave the tropics as oil and arrive Western Europe as solid. Even olive oil will largely solidify in cold weather. In general acylglycerols containing saturated fatty acids will appear as solids while that containing unsaturated fatty acids will appear as liquids. Alcylglycerols can be hydrolysed by heating with caustic alkali to form soap and glycerin. This reaction and its products find extensive use in the Pharmaceutical and cosmetic industry.
Applications of fats and fixed oils in the Pharmaceutical Industry
- Fixed oils are used as vehicles in the preparation of some parenteral dosage forms e.g. almond oil.
- Arachis oil is used in the food industries for the production of margarine and cooking fats.
- Coconut oil is extensively employed in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industry.
- Linseed oil is used in the production of poultice and topical antibiotics.
- Olive oil is widely employed as salad oil and in preparation of soaps and plasters.
- Fractionated palm kernel oil is used as a base for suppository. Theobroma oil is also used.
- Palm oil is extensively employed in the food industries.
- Castor oil is employed as a laxative and as a preliminary to intestinal examination after food poisoning.
- Prime rose oil is marketed as a dietary supplement for cosmetic purposes.