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Nagkesar oil is extracted from seeds of the nagkesar tree (Mesua ferrea,Hindi: नागकेसर). It belongs to theCalophyllaceae family. It is an East Indianevergreen tree and is often planted as anornamental for its fragrant white flowers that yield aperfume. It is the source ofhardwood used forrailroad ties.[1] It is Sri Lanka's national tree.[2]
The generic name is after J. Mesue (777–857) and the specific epithet is from Latin, meaning 'belonging to iron', in reference to its famed and very hard, durable timber.[3]
It is commonly known as Ceylon ironwood, cobra's saffron, Indian rose chestnut, ironwood tree, mesua, poached egg tree[2][unreliable source?]
M. ferrea reaches up to 100 feet (30 m) height.The tree is native toSri Lanka,India, southern Nepal,Burma,Thailand, Indochina, thePhilippines,Malaysia andSumatra, where it grows in evergreen forests, especially in river valleys. In the Himalayas and India the tree can grow at altitudes up to 1,500 m (4,900 ft) and in Sri Lanka up to 1,000 m (3,300 ft).[4] It is the onlyironwood forest in the dry zone with wet zone vegetation.
M. ferrea is a small to medium-sizeevergreen It grows up to 13 m (43 ft) tall, often buttressed at the base with atrunk up to 90 cm (35 in) indiameter. It has simple, narrow,oblong, dark greenleaves 7–15 cm (2.8–5.9 in) long, with a whitish underside. The emerging young leaves are red to yellowishpink and droop.[2] Thewood is hard, heavy and strong at about 72 pounds per cubic foot (1.15 g/cm3). Its density is 1.12 ton/m3.[citation needed]
Its flowers are terminal or axillary,bisexual, solitary or in an up to nine-flowered openpanicle,pedicel with small pairedbracts. It has fourdecussatesepals sub-orbicular, persistent and variously enlarged and thickened in fruit.Stamens are numerous, free orconnate only at the base,ovary superior (1-2 celled) each cell with one to two axillaryovules. They are slender with apeltate to four-lobed stigma. The flowers are 4–7.5 cm (1.6–3.0 in) diameter, with four whitepetals.[3] The flowers are used to make anincense and to stuffpillows.[2]
The fruit is a capsule, usually globule, often beaked, thinly woody, usually dehiscing with two to four valves before falling, often exuding resinous droplets. One fruit contains one to four seeds. Fruits are reddish, conical hard and ovoid. The fruit diameter is 3.0" and nearly woody. Fruits are ovoid, 2.5–5 cm (1.0–2.0 in) long with persistentcalyx. The seeds are dark brown fleshy oilycotyledons.[5][unreliable source?] Fruits weigh from 50–60 g (1.8–2.1 oz) each.[6]
The fruit contains one round or three conical brown, shiny, seeds consisting of the kernel (cotyledons, 36.6%) within a fibrous outer cover (50% seed) and brittle shell (13.4%).M. ferrea seeds containedlipids (66.91-70.23 g %), moisture (4.02-5.05 g %), ash (1.46-1.50 g %), total protein (6.99-7.19 g %), water-soluble protein (2.98-3.11 g %), starch (5.51-5.85 g %), crude fiber (1.22-1.98 g %), carbohydrate (15.88-18.68 g %). The energy value is 700.55-724.15 kcal/100 g.[7]
The major fatty acids in nagkesar oil areoleic acid,linoleic acid,stearic acid, andpalmitic acid.Polyphenols and volatiles can contribute an unpleasant odour. These include the 4-phenylcoumarins mesuol, mammeisin, mesuagin and mammeigin.[8]
| Fatty acid | percentage |
|---|---|
| Myristic acid (C14:0) | 0.0-2.8 |
| Palmitic acid (C16:0) | 8.0-16.5 |
| Stearic acid (C18:0) | 10.0-15.8 |
| Oleic acid (C18:1) | 55-66 |
| Linoleic acid (C20:0) | 0-1.0 |
| Character | Range/limit |
|---|---|
| Refractive Indexat, 400C | 1.465-1.475 |
| Iodine value | 65-95 |
| Saponification value | 195-205 |
| Moisture | 1.0-1.5 |
| Color 1/4" cell(Y+5R) | 25-35 |
| Unsaponifiable matter % | 2.0-2.5 |
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