Fatty acid composition of some ranunculaceae seed oils

Abstract

The fatty acid composition of seed oils of eight Ranunculaceae was determinated in order to characterize new sources of gamma-linolenic acid. Fatty acids were identified as fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) by capillary gas-liquid chromatography (GC) and capillary GC Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). For trienic FAME the use of a cyanopropylpolysiloxane stationary phase (CP-Sil 88) allowed the separation with high resolution of methyl ester of columbinic acid (trans-5,cis-9,cis-12 18:3) and gamma-linolenic acid (cis-6,cis-9,cis-12 18:3). The results confirmed the presence of columbinic acid in Thalictrum seed oils, and that of gamma-linolenic acid in Anemone and related species seed oils. The taxonomic subdivision of Ranunculaceae into sub-families and tribes, which resulted from morphological considerations, did not account for the above results.