James F. Couch

Buckwheat leaf meal fat. I. Its physical and chemical characteristics and the constituents of the water-soluble and unsaponifiable fractions of the saponified fat

SummaryThe leaf meal fat of the Japanese buckwheat plant has been prepared, and its physical and chemical characteristics have been determined. Spectrophotometric analysis of the fat of this variety indicates that in composition it is similar to the fat of the Tartary variety, the one now preferably used for manufacture of rutin. The large quantity of unsaponifiable matter is unusual. This fraction contains carotene, xanthophylls, phytol, β-sitosterol, and an eicosanol.Also of interest is the presence in the fat of significant quantities of lecithin when isopropanol is used for extraction. The water-soluble acidic constituents of the saponified fat consist of the organic acids formic, acetic, and lactic, and the inorganic acids phosphoric, nitric, sulfuric, and hydrochloric. Ammonia was present in the alcohol distillate collected after saponification, and glycerol was identified in the water-soluble acid fraction. Quantitative values are given for formic and lactic acids and for ammonia.