Phospholipid composition of some fruit-stone oils of Rosaceae species

Abstract

The phospholipid composition of five types of vegetable oil extracted from the nuts of plum (Prunus domestica L.), peach (Prunus persica L.), apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.), cherry (Prunus avium L.), and morello-cherry (Prunus cerasus L.) was determined spectrophotometrically after fractionation and separation to individual components by means of two-directional thin-layer chromatography. The content of phospholipids in the oils varied from 0.4% to 1.1%, while in the corresponding nuts it varied from 0.2 to 0.5%. The major components in the phospholipid fraction were phosphatidylcholine (37.1-59.0%), phosphatidylinositol (13.8-31.6%) and phosphatidylethanolamine (12.9-19.5%). The fatty acid composition of the triacylglycerols and of the major phospholipids was determined by capillary gas chromatography. Larger quantities of saturated fatty acids, mainly palmitic and stearic acid, were identified in the phospholipids.