Laurie oil resources

Abstract

Lauric oils and their derivatives have many applications both in the food and chemical industries. The major sources and some alternative raw materials for this multi-billon dollar business are discussed in the light of their ability to supply future market needs. There should be ample supply of lauric oils—except when drought and possibly disease affect large areas of coconut plantations—because of the rapid increase in palm kernel oil production expected from the African oil palm during the next decade. Most other sources are unlikely to be important in the short term because of the generally adequate supply of lauric oils and the considerable amount of research still needed to convert the best options into viable crops. However, a dramatic effect on supply can be expected if it becomes possible to manipulate the appropriate genes from lauric oil producing species of Cuphea into a conventional oil crop like rape. Future demand for lauric oils will be affected by the relative price of other vegetable oils and petroleum feedstocks that can be used to replace them in the manufacture of an increasing number of end products in both the food and chemical industries.