"Sump" or "desert date" oil The "sump" tree is common throughout
the Sahel because it is resistant to drought and overgrazing. It
is also cultivated in Egypt, the Sudan, Arabia and India. This
thorny tree can grow to 8 or 9 meters in height. The thorns are
long, sturdy, and straight and can reach 8 cm in length. The
fruit is a green, egg-shaped drupe, which turns yellow as it
ripens. Inside the date-like form is an oleaginous kernel from
which vegetable oil can be produced. The fruit is called "desert
date" or "sump" in Wolof. The term "Egyptian mirobalan" is used
only for the unripened fruit. The oil is pale yellow in color,
mild in smell and taste, and solidifies below 5° The stone of
the fruit contains 44% unsaturated oil, which is used in the
rural Senegalese diet. The kernel is also rich in protein (26 to
Owing to its composition (30% saturated fatty acids, 70%
unsaturated fatty acids: oleic and linoleic), the oil has a low
viscosity. Palmitic acid: 16.4% Stearic acid: 11.3% Oleic acid:
33.7% Linoleic ac