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Jatropha, Challenges for a New Energy Crop pp 383–402Cite as

Phytochemicals in Jatropha Seeds and Potential Agro-Pharmaceutical Applications of Jatropha curcas Phorbol Esters

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Abstract

Jatropha curcas (Euphorbiaceae) is a promising energy plant since its seeds are rich in oil (23–37 %) and the biodiesel produced on esterification of the oil meets the European and American biodiesel standards. However, the oil and the residues left after extraction of the oil (seed cake/kernel meal) are non-edible due to the presence of antinutritional and toxic compounds. In this review, information on antinutritional and toxic compounds present in seeds of toxic and non-toxic genotypes of J. curcas and of J. platyphylla are discussed with a view to underpin the main toxin and to enable future developments on detoxification of the seed cake and kernel meal for use as livestock and aquafeeds. In addition, the potential of using phorbol esters—a group of diterpene phytochemicals present in high amounts in the seed oil of the toxic J. curcas for agro-pharmaceutical applications is analyzed. Use of these co-products would contribute towards enhancing sustainability of the J. curcas based biodiesel industry, which is expected to grow at a fast pace in the future.

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Acknowledgement

Authors are grateful to the Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF), Berlin, Germany for the financial assistance provided for the research work. The technical assistance of Mr. Vikas Kumar, Mr. Herrmann Baumgartner, Mrs. Beatrix Fischer and Ms. Saskia Pfeffer is also acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Animal Production in the Tropics and Subtropics, (480b), University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, 70599, Germany

    Rakshit K. Devappa & Klaus Becker

  2. Livestock Production Systems Branch, Animal Production and Health Division, FAO, Rome, Italy

    Harinder P. S. Makkar

Authors
  1. Rakshit K. Devappa
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  2. Harinder P. S. Makkar
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  3. Klaus Becker
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Correspondence to Harinder P. S. Makkar .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Dept. of Functional Genomics and Biology, Fiocruz/IOC, Av.Brasil 4365, Manguinhos, 21040-360, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Nicolas Carels

  2. Crop Improvement Section, Principal Scientist, Directorate of Oilseeds Research, Hyderabad, 500 030, India

    Mulpuri Sujatha

  3. Department of Botany, University of Warangal, Warangal, India

    Bir Bahadur

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Devappa, R.K., Makkar, H.P.S., Becker, K. (2012). Phytochemicals in Jatropha Seeds and Potential Agro-Pharmaceutical Applications of Jatropha curcas Phorbol Esters. In: Carels, N., Sujatha, M., Bahadur, B. (eds) Jatropha, Challenges for a New Energy Crop. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-4806-8_21

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