Abstract
Kachnar (Bauhinia purpurea) seed oil is rich in bioactive lipids and could be considered as a raw material for functional and pharmaceutical products. B. purpurea oilseeds contain approx. 17.5% as an n-hexane extractable lipids. Linoleic, palmitic, oleic and stearic acids were the main fatty acids in the crude B. purpurea seed oil. The amounts of neutral lipids in the crude B. purpurea seed oil was the highest, followed by glycolipids and phospholipids. B. purpurea seed oil is characterized by high levels of sterols, wherein the sterol marker was beta-sitosterol. beta-Tocopherol was the main identified tocopherol isomer and the rest was delta-tocopherol. This chapter summarizes the chemical composition and functional properties of B. purpurea seed oil.