Salicornia oil is a pressed oil, derived from the seeds of the Salicornia bigelovii, a halophyte (salt-loving plant) native to Mexico.
The use of salicornia as an oil crop has been championed by researcher Carl Hodges, and was the subject of a 1991 New York Times article.[1] More recently, Hodges and his team have continued their work in Mexico, irrigating fields with sea water in farms near the Gulf of California.[2] Salicornia seeds contain 30% oil by weight, compared to 17-20% for soybeans. The oil itself contains 72% linoleic acid, which is comparable to safflower oil.[3]
References[edit]
- ^ "Salt-water crop". New York Times. March 5, 1991. Retrieved 2008-08-07.
- ^ Marty Dickenson (July 10, 2008). "The old man who farms with the sea". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 4, 2013. Retrieved 2008-08-07.
- ^ "Samphire: From sea to shining sea". Saudi Aramco World. November–December 1994. Retrieved 2008-08-07.