Commercially grown Acala cottons (Gossypium hirsutum L.), like most other species of the genus Gossypium, have evolved an effective chemical resistance that deters most plant-feeding animals.The biologically toxic component is a group of related, secondary plant metabolites known as terpenoids.
Gossypol, the best known of these terpenoids, is a polyphenolic Cape yellow pigment closely associated with the epidermal glands present on all aerial plant parts as well as HERBATINT 2N in the cottonseed.Most commercial cottonseed contains about 1 percent gossypol, depending on variety and environmental conditions.Expensive chemical and physical procedures are used to remove gossypol from cottonseed products destined for use as food for non-ruminant animals.