الفهرس 
INTRODUCTIONOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
TN1”HODUC’rlO]I’
’~astor bean plant Ricinus conununis :~’” ,,,.trnnr>c1 8!1
increasing importance due to its hign utilarian and
medicinal values. It is considered as one of the major
medicinal plants (Weiss, 1971!. Tt belo~s to Frunily
Euphorbeaceae.
Castor seeds were ElD important .l.tem o-1 ~~c:m:r:~rr·;:’ tn
Ancient Egypt, and were found in tombs datj~ng from
4000 B.C. Herodotus stated that the seeds were either
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bruised and pressed, or roasted and boiled in order to
obtain oil (Locas, 1962).
·rhe annual world production of castor seecls is about
810,000 metric tons. (F.A.O., l”l82J, and the maln ~roducing
countries are Brazil, IndiM., f;Jexico dnd Italy. The
economic value of the crop is related mainl,v tr’ the; seeds
wi tn oil content ranging from 35 ~o 57 %. ·rhe CJil ls
currently used for various pharwlceuf.ical ·md inciu8tr:i.al
vurposes. (Mort on, 1977).
After the extraction of castor oil, +.he •·c;maining
material, known as the castor pomace (cake), conta1ns
about 36 % protein and is a source of 150,0UO t,ons of