Seed oils sourced from West Africa are generally not well-characterized, but likely to have an untapped potential. This review aims to make an overview of fatty acid (FA) composition of unconventional seed oils from semi-arid West African trees and evaluate potential for new and enhanced uses and for improving local livelihoods and biodiversity conservation. A total of 111 studies on FA composition were found, covering 31 species. Only 69 of the studies (62%) were included in the review, as 38% had unreliable or incomplete results. There was a clear link between taxonomic kinship and FA composition. Over 20 potentially interesting and underexploited oils were found, including oils with properties similar to palm oil, olive oil, coconut oil, shea butter, and cotton seed oil. About half of the oils have promising potential for cosmetics. One third of the oils were relatively saturated, indicating properties for structuring food and heat resistance. Most of the species had multiple uses and oil production could be profitable in co-production with other non-timber forest products. Furthermore, establishment of sustainable oil production and domestication of oil trees could promote biodiversity conservation. Enhanced oil production in semi-arid West Africa is promising, but several practical constraints remain to be overcome.

中文翻译：

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来自西非树木的非常规种子油和脂肪的潜力：脂肪酸组成和前景的回顾

来自西非的种子油通常没有很好的特性，但可能具有未开发的潜力。本综述旨在概述来自半干旱西非树木的非常规种子油的脂肪酸 (FA) 组成，并评估新用途和增强用途以及改善当地生计和生物多样性保护的潜力。共发现 111 项关于 FA 组成的研究，涵盖 31 个物种。只有 69 项研究 (62%) 被纳入审查，因为 38% 的研究结果不可靠或不完整。分类亲缘关系和 FA 组成之间有明显的联系。发现了 20 多种潜在的有趣和未充分利用的油，包括与棕榈油、橄榄油、椰子油、乳木果油和棉籽油具有相似特性的油。大约一半的油具有用于化妆品的潜力。三分之一的油相对饱和，表明具有结构化食物和耐热性的特性。大多数物种有多种用途，石油生产可以与其他非木材林产品联合生产有利可图。此外，建立可持续的石油生产和油树驯化可以促进生物多样性保护。在半干旱的西非提高石油产量是有希望的，但仍有一些实际限制需要克服。