The oil and fatty acid composition of thirty-seven Madhuca longifolia genotypes growing in 13 districts of Tamil Nadu, India was determined. Considerable variations between genotypes were found for oil content, fatty acid profile, iodine value, saponification value, cetane number and O/L ratio. The total oil content of mahua ranged from 44.4% to 61.5%. The palmitic acid (11.7-25.9%), stearic acid (19.1-32.2%), oleic acid (32.9-48.6%) and linoleic acid (9.4-15.4%) are the major fatty acids found in mahua seeds. Saponification value, iodine value and cetane number ranged from 198.3-202.8, 52.0-68.6 and 58.0-61.6 respectively. The large variability was observed for all the measured parameters. In consideration of potential utilization, detailed study of this kind would help in exploring the potential of mahua for nutritional and industrial purposes. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.