Industrial Crops and Products 22 (2005) 125–133 Synthesis and characterization of tetrahydroxyjojoba wax and ferulates of jojoba oil Rogers E. Harry-O’kuru a,∗ , Abdellatif Mohamed b , Thomas P. Abbott 2 a New Crops and Processing Technology Research Unit, National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research, USDA 1 , Agricultural Research Service, 1815 N. University Street, Peoria, IL 61604, USA b Cereal Products and Food Science Research Unit, National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research, USDA 1 , Agricultural Research Service, 1815 N. University Street, Peoria, IL 61604, USA Received 17 September 2003; accepted 16 July 2004 Abstract The new crop oil from jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis) is a skin-softener similar to sperm whale oil. In an effort to find new uses of this oil, we have converted jojoba liquid wax into two new products in mild chemical processes. Tetrahydroxyjojoba wax (THJF) is a colorless, stable, low-melting solid and jojoba ferulate, an ultra violet (UV) absorbing species by esterification of the tetrahydroxy wax with trans-4-hydroxy-3-methoxycinnamic acid. The tetrahydroxyjojoba wax like the parent oil has no UV radiation absorbing property, but it is an excellent emollient. In contrast, the jojoba ferulate is a good UV absorber. Differential scanning calorimetry of the ferulate, its precursor, the tetrahydroxyjojoba wax, and the acetylated jojobaferulate derivatives indicate very stable properties from ambient to 100 ◦ C temperature range. © 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Keywords: Diepoxyjojoba wax; Hydroxyjojoba wax; Vegetable oils; New crop oils; Liquid wax ferulates; UV-absorption 1. Introduction Jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis) is a semi-arid shrub native to Arizona, California and northern Mexico. The ∗ Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 309 681 6341; fax: +1 309 681 6689. E-mail address: harryore@ncaur.usda.gov (R.E. Harry-O’kuru). 1 Names are necessary to report factually on available data. The USDA neither guarantees nor warrants the standard of the product, and the use of the name by USDA implies no approval of the product to the exclusion of others that may also be suitable. 2 Present address: P.O. Box 206, Cle Elum, WA 98922, USA. seed contains 50–60% oil. The oil is a unique liq- uid wax ester comprising mainly C40:2 and C42:2 and is regarded as a replacement for sperm whale oil. Jojoba oil also contains C38:2, C44:2, and C46:2 components formed from C18:1, C20:1, C22:1, and C24:1 carboxylic acids and alcohols (Miwa, 1971). The structure of jojoba oil is such that it acts as a natural skin-softener. Consequently, jojoba oil is in- corporated into many personal care formulations. Jo- joba oil is marketed extensively in the cosmetic and lubricant industry, where 70% of the US production is exported. Some chemical modification of the oil has 0926-6690/$ – see front matter © 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.indcrop.2004.07.001