The fatty acid composition of the seeds ofGinkgo biloba

Abstract

The fatty acid composition of seeds ofGinkgo biloba has been examined by a combination of capillary gas chromatography, silver ion high‐performance liquid chromatography and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Some of the fatty acids identified are unusual in plants and were rather different from those reported earlier. These include ananteiso‐methyl branched fatty acid, 14‐methylhexadecanoic acid, 5,9‐octadecadienoic acid, and 5,9,12‐octadecatrienoic acid. Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed that all of the double bonds were of thecis‐configuration.

Chemotaxonomic differentiation of conifer families and genera based on the seed oil fatty acid compositions: multivariate analyses

“…All contain the common saturated acids (mainly 16:0 and 18:0, but also 20:0 and 22:0) generally encountered in vegetables, but total amounts are rather small (4.4±8.8% of total fatty acids, data not shown). Though not reported in Table 1, they also contain traces (# 0.13%) of 17:0 acid and of a branched-17:0 acid, tentatively identified as the 14-methylhexadecanoic acid (# 0.83%) by co-chromatography with an authentic standard, and which had been earlier formally identified in Ginkgo biloba seed lipids (Hierro et al 1996), in the wood of several North American pines (Zinkel and Foster 1980), and reported in conifer needle lipids (Jamieson and Reid 1972). Alternately stated, 90±95% of the seed oil fatty acids are unsaturated.…”

Screening analysis of unknown seed oils

“…BPX-70 TM ∆5-unsaturated polymethylene-interrupted fatty acids in Ranunculaceae [120]; γ-linolenic, α-linolenic, and stearidonic acid in Boraginaceae [121]; acetylenic fatty acids in Olacaceae [11] Carbowax 20M TM /DB Wax TM Conjugated triene fatty acids in Cucurbitaceae [90], positional monoene isomers in Sapindaceae [2,122], ∆5-unsaturated polymethylene-interrupted fatty acids in Cupressaceae, Pinaceae, and Taxaceae [123] CP-SIL-88 TM Unusual unsaturated double bond and configuration isomers in Ranunculaceae [124] and Pinaceae [125] CP-WAX 52CB TM Methyl-branched and ∆5-unsaturated polymethylene-interrupted fatty acids in Ginkgo biloba [20] DB-23 TM Cyclopropanoic, cyclopropenoic, and hydroxy fatty acids in Bombacaceae [14], positional monoene isomers in Sapindaceae [2,122], conjugated triene, tetraene, and keto fatty acids in Chrysobalanaceae [21,77,126] and Euphorbiaceae [6], acetylenic acids in Olacaceae [3,128] and Santalaceae [3,128] SILAR 5 CP TM ∆5-unsaturated polymethylene-interrupted fatty acids in Ranunculaceae [129], allenic fatty acids [13] SP2330 TM Polyunsaturated fatty acids in various species [130] Detection of the individual compounds can be made with a flame-ionization detector (FID).…”

“…[2,3,10,14,16,21,23,77,120,122,126,129,180,187,206] for 4,4-dimethyloxazoline derivatives and ref. [20,185,186,196,207] for picolinyl ester derivatives.…”

“…Boraginaceae [121], Ginkgo biloba [20], and Sapindaceae [2,122] seed oils. The use of IR spectroscopy in oil analysis has been reviewed in detail [211].…”

Taxonomy of Pinus species based on the seed oil fatty acid compositions

“…With regard to this acid, pines, and more generally Pinaceae (along with Ginkgo biloba, Hierro et al 1996) are major exceptions in the plant kingdom.…”