Oily contents and the lauric and myristic acids in mature fruits of Roystonea regia harvested for two year.

INTRODUCTION: D004, an promissory active ingredient in treatment and prevention of begnin prostatic hyperplasia, is obtained from the fruit oil of Roystonea regia (Kunth) O.F. Cook. It is composed by a mixture of free fatty acids including lauric and myristic acids, both very important by their pharmacological effects. OBJECTIVE: to determine the potential influence of harvest season on the oily content and the concentration of lauric and myristic acids from R. regia fruits. METHODS: each month for two years, it was possible to collect mature fruits from R. regia in a selected group. In dry and milled samples it was determined the oily content in a gravimetric way and that of fatty acids by gas chromatography. RESULTS: there were differences statistically significant in oily contents and of lauric and myristic acids; however, the contents determined in all the cases remained within the quality specifications established for the plant material. CONCLUSIONS: the plant material collected for all the year may be used in obtaining of R. regia oil, raw material used in the production of D004.