LETTER TO THE EDITOR Chemical Composition and Characteristics of Commiphora wightii (Arnott) Bhandari Seed Oil B. H. Patel Æ S. Thakore Æ Padamnabhi Shanker Nagar Received: 11 July 2008 / Revised: 20 January 2009 / Accepted: 2 March 2009 / Published online: 25 March 2009 Ó AOCS 2009 Abstract The seeds of Commiphora wightii (Arnott) Bhandari contain 9.8 ± 0.7% oil. The fatty acid compo- sition and chemical properties of the extracted oil were determined. Gas liquid chromatography of the methyl esters of the fatty acids shows the presence of 46.62% saturated fatty acids and 51.40% unsaturated fatty acids. The fatty acid composition is as follows: capric acid 3.50%, myristic acid 14.51%, palmitic acid 6.68%, stearic acid 4.70%, arachidic acid 3.18%, behenic acid 14.05%, myristoleic acid 1.34%, palmitoleic acid 12.07%, oleic acid 14.15%, eicosenoic acid 0.11%, linoleic acid 22.34% and alpha linoleic acid 1.37%. Keywords Oilseeds Á Fats and oils Á Chromatography Á Lipid chemistry Á Lipid analysis Introduction The Commiphora wightii L. (Syn. Commiphora mukul Engl., Balsamodendron wightii Arn., B. mukul Hook. ex stocks) belongs to the family Burseraceae which is a large pantropical family, forming an important element of the flora of both rain forests and arid areas [1]. The plant is dimorphic, one having bisexual and male flowers and the other having female flowers with staminodes [1]. A third category of plants with only male flowers has also been reported [2]. Each fruit of C. wightii contains one seed. Two types of seeds, viz. black and white has been recor- ded—of these, the black seeds are found to be viable and contain 5.7% oil with four different types of fatty acids [3].There was little documentation on the oil content, chemical properties and fatty acid composition of Com- miphora wightii seed oil (CWSO). The purpose of the present work was to study the chemical properties and fatty acid composition of the CWSO and compare with that of anearlier report. Experimental Methods Sampling The fresh matured fruits of C. wightii (Arnott) Bhandari were collected from Dwarka, Jamnagar district, Western Gujarat, India during the favorable season between Feb- ruary and March. The black seeds were sorted out from the fruit and air dried. The specimens collected were identified with the help of the ‘‘Flora of the Indian Desert’’ [1]. Further, the species was confirmed by comparison with the specimen lying in the herbaria of Blatter, Mumbai, India (Blatter 5811, Blatter 5817, Voucher specimen no. PSN 113, PSN 115, PSN 121). Extraction and Analysis of Oil The C. wightii seeds were powdered without removing the testa and then extracted completely with petroleum ether (40–60 °C) in a Soxhlet apparatus. The resulting extract was filtered and evaporated ‘‘in vacuo’’ leaving behind a yellowish oil. It was evaluated for its various chemical B. H. Patel Á P. S. Nagar (&) Department of Botany, The Maharaja Sayajirao University Vadodara, Gujarat, India e-mail: drnagar@gmail.com S. Thakore Department of Chemistry, The Maharaja Sayajirao University Vadodara, Gujarat, India 123 J Am Oil Chem Soc (2009) 86:497–498 DOI 10.1007/s11746-009-1366-7