- Jojoba oil
Jojoba oil (pronounced "ho-HO-bah") is the liquid
wax produced in the seed of thejojoba ("Simmondsia chinensis") plant, ashrub native to southernArizona , southernCalifornia and northwesternMexico . Theoil makes up approximately 50% of the jojoba seed by weight.cite journal | url = http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/afcm/jojoba.html | journal = Alternative Field Crops Manual | title = Jojoba | author = D.J. Undersander, E.A. Oelke, A.R. Kaminski, J.D. Doll, D.H. Putnam, S.M. Combs, and C.V. Hanson | year = 1990 ]Composition
Jojoba oil is a mixture of wax
ester s, 36 to 46 carbon atoms in length. Each molecule consists of afatty acid and a fatty alcohol joined by an ester bond. 98% of the fatty acid molecules are unsaturated at the 9th carbon-carbon bond (omega-9) Spencer GF, Plattner RD, Miwa T. 1997. [http://www.springerlink.com/content/87mkk33315355mx6/fulltext.pdf?page=1 Jojoba oil analysis by high pressure liquid chromatography and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry] Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society 54(5).] The approximate percentages offatty acid s in jojoba oil are as follows: [ cite web | url = http://www.aromaland.com/shop/index.cfm?fuseaction=customer.productcat&product_code=71JO8&category_code=CO11 | title = Jojoba Oil | publisher = Aroma Land ]Appearance
Unrefined jojoba oil appears as a clear golden liquid at
room temperature with a slightly fatty odor. Refined jojoba oil is colorless and odorless. Themelting point of jojoba oil is approximately 10°C [ cite web | title = AOCS Method Cc 18-80 | url = http://www.aocs.org/tech/onlinemethods/search.asp?id=170&process=view | accessdate = 2006-10-13 ] and theiodine value is approximately 80. [cite web | title = AOCS Method Cd 1-25 | url = http://www.aocs.org/tech/onlinemethods/search.asp?id=192&process=view | accessdate = 2006-10-13 ] Jojoba oil is relatively shelf-stable when compared with other vegetable oils. It has an Oxidative Stability Index of approximately 60, [cite web | title = AOCS Method Cd 12b-92 | url = http://www.aocs.org/tech/onlinemethods/search.asp?id=405&process=view | accessdate = 2006-10-13 ] which means that it is more shelf-stable than oils ofsafflower oil ,canola oil ,almond oil orsqualene but less thancastor oil , macadamia oil andcoconut oil .Unlike common vegetable oils, jojoba oil is chemically very similar to human
sebum Fact|date=June 2008. Most jojoba oil is consumed as an ingredient incosmetics and personal care products, especially skin care and hair care. Jojoba derivatives, includingjojoba esters ,isopropyl jojobate andjojoba alcohol , are particularly widely used in this context.Jojoba oil is popular with stretched lobes. The make up of the oil is very similar to that of human
sebum . It aids in the healing process.Jojoba oil is also used as a replacement for whale oil and its derivatives, such as
cetyl alcohol . The ban on importing whale oil to the US in1971 led to the discovery that it is "in many regards superior to sperm oil for applications in the cosmetics and other industries."Jojoba oil is a
fungicide , and can be used for controllingmildew . [patent|US|6174920|Method of controlling powdery mildew infections of plants using jojoba wax]Jojoba oil is edible, but
acaloric and non-digestible, meaning the oil will pass through the intestines unchanged and can cause an unpleasant result calledsteatorrhea .Jojoba oil is an exceptional moisturizer. [ cite journal | title = Comparative aspects of lipid digestion and absorption: physiological correlates of wax ester digestion | url = http://ajpregu.physiology.org/cgi/content/abstract/263/3/R464 | journal = AJP - Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology | volume = 263 | issue = 3 | pages = 464–R471 | author = A. R. Place | date = 1992 | accessdate = 2008-03-17 | pmid = 1415629 | format = abstract ]
Jojoba
biodiesel has been explored as a cheap, sustainable fuel that can serve as a substitute forpetroleum diesel. [ cite web | url = http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn3464 | title = Jojoba oil could fuel cars and trucks | date =March 6 2003 | accessdate = 2006-10-13 | publisher = New Scientist ]See also
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Oleochemical References
External links
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* [http://jojobassaf.com/jojoba_oil.php Description and chemical structure of jojoba oil]
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