Caracterización composicional del fruto de 15 variedades de Jatropha curcas L. en el departamento del Tolima, Colombia

The Jatropha curcas L. (JCL) is a tropical plant going through a domestication process with a multipurpose use, mainly for biodiesel. The characterization of the fruit will allow recognizing the use of oil in order to replace fossil energy and the potential use of the other components. For this reason, the assessment and identification of the components of the fruit and its possible uses were tested in an experiment that took place in Tolima, Colombia. One random complete block design was used with 15 varieties and three replications, using an experimental unit of 20 plants established with a planting distance of 3 x 2 m. The assessment showed six components of the fruit: pulp, seed husk, almond cake, and oil. The share of each component was: pulp (73.9 %) and seed (26.1 %). The pulp showed nitrogen (1.1 %) and potassium (9.7 %), plus some minor elements (manganese, zinc and iron). The seed showed two components: husk (29.9 %) and almond (70.1 %), with an energy value of 4,155 kcal husk / kg. From the Almond, oil (44.1 %) and cake (55.9 %) were obtained. The oil showed two fatty acids in higher proportion: oleic (40.3 %) and linoleic (38.6 %) and the cake showed a protein content of 62.0 %. The JCL oil has the potential for biodiesel; the pulp as biofertilizer; the husk for energy cogeneration, and the cake for animal feed.