Yakın tarihli bir çalışmada Jatropha susam çekirdeği toksisitesini düşürme konusunda araştırma yapılmıştır. Çalışmada, bu bitkinin yüksek protein ve diğer besinsel değerlere sahip olduğu ancak başta phorbol ester olmak üzere toksin birleşimler içerdiği bu nedenle, besinsel değerlerinin korunarak bu toksinlerin güvenli ve kabul edilebilir seviyelere indirilmesi konusunda metotlar test edilmiştir. İnsan besin zincirine de etki eden bu zehirli toksinlerin düşürülmesi için hazırlanan ve içinde % 10 miktarı kadar bentonit içeren karışım üzerinde yapılan çalışmalarda sonuçlar sunulmuştur. Bu sonuçlara göre;

Bentonit içerikli bu karışımın Jatropha susam çekirdeğinde bulunan ve başlıca toksin olan phorbol ester kalıntılarının tamamını arındırmada etkili olduğu ve bunun yanında besinsel değerleri koruduğu görülmüştür. Bu açıdan yapılacak in vitro ve in vivo çalışmalarda bu önemli besin maddesinin hayvan yemi ve diğer değerli ürünler olarak kullanımının olası olduğu belirtilmiştir.

Çalışmanın İngilizce özetine aşağıda yer verilmiştir.

Potential Treatments To Reduce Phorbol Esters Levels İn Jatropha Seed Cake For İmproving The Value Added Product. Sadubthummarak U, Parkpian P, Ruchirawat M, Kongchum M, Delaune RD. Environmental Toxicology, Technology and Management Program, Chulabhorn Research Institute, Thailand.

PMID: 23998310 [PUBMED] J Environ Sci Health B. 2013;48(11):974-82

Jatropha seed cake contains high amounts of protein and other nutrients, however it has a drawback due to toxic compounds. The aim of this study was to investigate the methods applied to detoxify the main toxin, phorbol esters in jatropha seed cake, to a safe and acceptable level by maintaining the nutritional values. Phorbol esters are tetracyclic diterpenoids-polycyclic compounds that are known as tumor promoters and hence exhibited the toxicity within a broad range of species. Mismanagement of the jatropha waste from jatropha oil industries would lead to contamination of the environment, affecting living organisms and human health through the food chain, so several methods were tested for reducing the toxicity of the seed cake. The results from this investigation showed that heat treatments at either 120°C or 220°C for 1 hour and then mixing with adsorbing bentonite (10%), nanoparticles of zinc oxide (100 μg/g) plus NaHCO3 at 4%, followed by a 4-week incubation period yielded the best final product. The remaining phorbol esters concentration (0.05-0.04 mg/g) from this treatment was less than that reported for the nontoxic jatropha varieties (0.11-0.27 mg/g). Nutritional values of the seed cake after treatment remained at the same levels found in the control group and these values were crude protein (20.47-21.40 + 0.17-0.25%), crude lipid (14.27-14.68 + 0.13-0.14%) and crude fiber (27.33-29.67 + 0.58%). A cytotoxicity test conducted using L929 and normal human dermal fibroblast cell lines confirmed that most of the toxic compounds, especially phorbol esters, were shown as completely eliminated. The results suggested that the detoxification of phorbol esters residues in the jatropha seed cake was possible while it also retained nutritional values. Therefore, the methods to detoxify Pharbol esters are necessary to minimize the toxicity of jatropha seed cake. Further, it is essential to reduce the possible environmental impacts that may be generated throughout the jatropha waste-handling process. However additional tests such as digestibility as well as acceptability of the treated jatropha seed cake should be conducted using both in vivo and in vitro studies before recommending the jatropha seed cake as a source of renewable animal feed and other value-added products.