Peach, Apricot, and Prune Kernels as By-Products of the Fruit Industry of the United States

Excerpts from p. 539 of the Experiment Station Record, Vol. XX, 1908-1909: The present commercial supply of almond oils is derived from European countries and is manufactured, not alone from almonds, but to a great extent from apricot, and in some cases, peach kernels. This bulletin contains the results of an investigation conducted to obtain information as to peach, apricot, and prune kernels, with special reference to their similarity to sweet and bitter almonds and to compare chemically the fixed and volatile oils obtainable from them. The methods of extracting these oils are discussed in detail and consideration is given to their commercial uses. The investigation shows that the fixed and volatile oils which can be derived from peach, apricot, and prune kernels compare very favorably as to their physical and chemical properties and in some cases are almost identical with the commercial oils obtained from sweet and bitter almonds. The oils from these kernels are at the present time substituted for the rarer almond oils and can be used for the same purposes. Peach, apricot, and prune kernels are cheaper and furnish a more available raw material than bitter almonds. Hence their increased use might sufficiently reduce the price of these oils and create a greater demand for them. Owing to the ready saponification of these oils they should find a demand in the toilet-soap industry, and their production in the United States is suggested on account of the large amount of raw material available. The processes of extracting and distilling fruit- kernel oils are not particularly complex and could be carried on in establishments such as canneries already equipped with steam or other power at comparatively small expense. It is suggested that the press cake, owing to its high content of nitrogenous matter, might be employed either as a stock food or as a fertilizer.