Introduction. Olea ferruginea Royle, generally known
as Indian olive, grows widely in the Himalayas from Kashmir to Kumaun up
to an altitude of 2400 m. It is a multipurpose, zero-waste, evergreen
tree species. It yields a number of useful items including quality
fodder, firewood and edible fruits. The leaves, bark, roots, fruits
and seeds of this plant are used for treatment of various diseases.
The fruits are also a source of olive oil. However, to the best
of our knowledge, no study has been carried out to determine the
olive oil contents of the fruits and seeds of O. ferruginea and
the quality of the oils. Materials and methods. Therefore, investigations
were undertaken to determine the olive oil contents and the quality
of the oils in the fruits and seeds in terms of fatty acid composition.
Four populations of O. ferruginea (Kolibehar, Saioond and Kais from
the Kullu district, and Thalaut from the Mandi district of Himachal
Pradesh) were selected as the sources of fruits and seeds. Results
and discussion. The selected sites differed in respect to their
geographical characteristics. The olive oil content was considerably
higher in the fruits than in the seeds. The olive oil contents in
the fruits varied from 20.67% to 27.40%, with the Thalaut population exhibiting
the highest oil content. The olive oil content in the seeds varied
from 7.5% to 12.5%; the oil content was the lowest in fruits of
the Saioond population and the highest in the Thalaut population.
In all the populations, monounsaturated oleic acid was predominant;
oleic acid ranged from 61.6% to 66.9% in the fruit oil and 64.4%
to 67.2% in the seed oil. Differences in the fatty acid composition
between the seed and fruit oils were also seen. Conclusion. Our
study suggests that the fruits of O. ferruginea may be a potential
source of olive oil. Thus, sustainable use of this potential of
the tree could be useful in the socio-economic development and environmental conservation
of the areas where it grows.