Delta 5-olefinic acids in the edible seeds of nut pines (Pinus cembroides edulis) from the United States

Abstract

The fatty acid composition of the edible seeds from Pinus cembroides edulis (a nut pine), that might have been a commercial source of Delta 5-olefinic acids in the United States, has been established. The dehulled seeds are rich in oil (64% by weight) and are characterized by high levels of both oleic and linoleic acids (ca. 47 and 41%, respectively), with only 10% of saturated acids. Delta 5-Olefinic acids, which were not reported previously in this species, are exceptionally low as compared to most other conifer species: 5,9-18:2 acid, 0.1%; 5,9,12-18:3 acid, 0.4%; 5,11,14-20:3 acid, 0.3%. In this respect, P. cembroides edulis seed oil closely resembles that of P. pinea (a circum-Mediterranean species), which emphasizes the morphological and taxonomic relationship between the sections to which the two species belong (Parryana and Pinea, respectively).