EXTRACTION AND EVALUATION OF SOILS FROM INDIGENOUS AND GRAFTED MACADAMIA NUTS FOUND IN MATHIOYA IN, MURANG'A DISTRICT

Abstract

An extraction and analysis was carried out to compare oils obtained from indigenous and grafted macadamia nuts from trees found in Mathioya division, Murang'a district. In this project the word indigenous was taken as the original plant. This means that the chemical composition of the plant is not changed by ways of grafting for example , Grafting means the act of fixing a part of a shoot from one plant with desirable characteristics to another In macadamia, grafting is done to the indigenous plant when the plant is six months old This changes the productivity and multiplication of a plant. The study started right from the garden where the trees were grown , Some trees were found along the fence and others in the midst of other plants where they were well cared for. The trees together with other trees, The nuts were randomly picked in pairs of grafted and indigenous nuts from two stations within the division, Various problems were encountered since the farmers did not understand why one insisted on grov.rth and maturity of the nuts, There was also in availability of both types from one station, The grafted nuts were found to be of high oil content compared to the indigenous nuts, Their saponification value was also high, They were also found to contain reasonable zinc, The metal lead which cause lead poisoning was not found Macadamia oil was therefore found fit for human consumption