Table 1.
Relative chemical composition of nutmeg kernel and methods of preparation of major constituents (Abourashed and Khan 2010, Daniel 1994, Olaleye et al. 2006)
| Chemical class | Concentration (w/w, dry) |
Main Constituents (abundance within class) |
Preparation Method |
|---|---|---|---|
| I) Primary metabolites: | |||
| Fixed oil (nutmeg butter) | up to 40% | Myristic acid (~8%) & trimyristin triglyceride (~73%) | Expression |
| Carbohydrates | up to 30% | Starch | Insoluble residue |
| Protein | up to 6% | Insoluble residue | |
| II) Secondary metabolites: | |||
| Essential oil | 2–16% | Terpenes (~88%), Phenylpropanoids (~12%) | Steam distillation |
| Small phenolic compounds | varies | Phenolic acids, lignans, diarylalkanes, flavonoids | Organic solvent extraction |
| Resins & pigments | varies | Polyphenolics, polycatechins, tannins, anthocyanins | Variable |