Crop description. Virola surinamensis and V sebifera (see Fig. 4.25)— commonly known as ucuhuba, ucuiba, ucuba, muscadier porte-suif, and yayamadou—belong to the family Myristicaceae and grow in tropical swampy forests. Major producing countries are Brazil, Costa Rica, Ecuador, French Guiana, and Guyana. A typical tree is of medium height and can produce 60-90 L of oil each year. The seeds contain 65-76% oil. The yellow-brown aromatic oils from both varieties are very similar. Other related species, such as V otoba, which grows in Colombia and Peru, yield a fat similar to ucuuba, which is known as otoba butter or American nutmeg butter. Major fatty acids present in the oil are lauric

acid (15-17.6%), myristic acid (72.9-73.3%), palmitic acid (4.4-5%), and oleic acid (5.1-6.3%) [77, 87].

Main uses. This fat has been used traditionally in candle manufacture. The fat and pulverized kernels find use in traditional medicines. The tree has been proposed as a potential source of isopropyl myristate, which is used in cosmetic manufacture [186]. However, no references related to its use as a raw material to produce biodiesel have been found to date.