ASSESSMENT OF GROUNDNUT RESEARCH ACHIEVEM ENTS IN THE SAVANNA REGIONSOF WEST-AFRICA

The use of gas chromatography in conjunction with a combination of gas chromatography and mass spectrometry has enable the identification of most of the sterols contained in the oil extracted from some wild pal m species in Madagascar. Analysis of the sterol fraction shows that be ta-sitosterol is the predominant sterol, followed by campesterol and s tigmasterol. Oils extracted from the endocarp are richer in cholestero l (4 to 9%) than those extracted from the kernel and pericarp. In gene ral, the sterols found in palms from Madagascar are very common : chol esterol (0.0-15.5%), desmosterol (0.0-3.0%), 24-methylenecholesterol ( t), campesterol (4.222. 4%), stigmasterol (1.4-29.0%), beta-sitosterol (40.2-86.0%), fucosterol (t), 28-isofucosterol (0.0-14.4%), DELTA7-st igmastenol (0.0-33.9%)