Abstract
Liquid wax ester extracted from the seeds of the jojoba plant (
Simmondsia chinensis) is used commercially in the cosmetics industry. For this reason, it is a potentially profitable crop for the arid regions of Chile. This study evaluates the yields, and physical and chemical properties of jojoba seeds grown experimentally in Chile, compared with literature values and commercial sources in the United States, Israel, Peru, and Argentina. Cuttings from promising jojoba plants were gathered from abandoned plantations in various arid regions of Chile and propagated for study at a Chilean research station. Seed samples originating from 17 selected clones were analyzed for oil content, weight per 1000 seeds, and protein and simmondsin contents. The seed oil was analyzed for acid value, wax ester profile, fatty acid profile and fatty alcohol profile. The Chilean seeds had physical properties similar to commercial sources and literature values. However, there were differences in the chemical composition. The molecular weights of the wax esters and their fatty acid moieties were significantly higher than the literature values and commercial seed samples. The wax ester profile of the Chilean seeds had higher C
42 and lower C
38 content than the commercial sources. In addition, the total simmondsins content in the Chilean seed was higher than literature values and the simmondsin content with respect to its analogs (simmondsin ferulate, demethylsimmondsin (DMS), and didemethylsimmondsin (DDMS)) was considerably lower.