Habitat:
– Shorea robusta is native to India, ranging from Myanmar to Nepal, India, and Bangladesh.
– The tree covers about 13.3% of India’s forested area.
– It grows gregariously or mixed with other trees in the Himalayan foothills and central India.
– The largest sal forests are in Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh.
– Around 20-30 million forest dwellers depend on sal seeds, leaves, and resins.
Seed Collection and Oil Extraction:
– Sal is crucial for forest dwellers in Orissa, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh.
– These states have significant sal forest coverage.
– Proper seed storage is essential to maintain oil quality.
– Sal fat is extracted through water rendering, mechanical methods, or solvent extraction.
– The oil is greenish-brown, solid at room temperature, and used in cooking and chocolate manufacturing.
Characteristics:
– Sal oil contains stearic acid and oleic acid.
– The refined oil is a cocoa butter substitute in chocolate production.
– Physical properties include specific gravity, melting point, and iodine value.
– Sal oil is used for cooking, soap making, and in the confectionery industry.
– Sal butter is utilized in edible ghee, paints, lubricants, and more.
See Also:
– Shorea robusta is the scientific name for the Sal tree.
References:
– Information on Shorea robusta can be found on various websites like agritech.tnau.ac.in and flowersofindia.net.
– The World Agroforestry Centre provides details on the species.
– Shorea robusta is a host tree for lichen growth in India.
– Sal Seed Solvent Extraction Plant information is available on oilmillmachinery.net.
– Pioneerherbal.com offers insights on Sal fat and its applications.
Vegetable oils, or vegetable fats, are oils extracted from seeds or from other parts of fruits. Like animal fats, vegetable fats are mixtures of triglycerides. Soybean oil, grape seed oil, and cocoa butter are examples of seed oils, or fats from seeds. Olive oil, palm oil, and rice bran oil are examples of fats from other parts of fruits. In common usage, vegetable oil may refer exclusively to vegetable fats which are liquid at room temperature. Vegetable oils are usually edible.
The health effects of vegetable oil consumption have been the subject of numerous studies. A systematic review in 2015 found that consumption of virgin olive oil significantly reduced cardiovascular disease. Consumption of fried food in general was not associated with higher cardiovascular disease but it was associated with obesity.