Original Article

y-LINOLENIC ACID CONTENT AND FATTY ACID PROFILES OF THE SEED OILS OF SOME ANCHUSA SPFCIFS

  • Nurgün KÜÇÜKBOYACI
  • Aslı DOĞRU KOCA
  • Şinasi YILDIRIMLI
  • Esat İbrahim KILINÇ
  • Ahmet Ceyhan GÖREN

Received Date: 10.05.2012 Accepted Date: 19.12.2012 Turk J Pharm Sci 2013;10(1):87-94

In this study, the fattv acid composition of the seed oils of foıır . hu huşa L. (Boraginaceae) species [Anchusa azıırea Miller var. azıırea, Anchusa leptophvlla Roemer & Schultes subsp. leptophvlla, Anchusa an’ensis (L. ) Bieb. subsp. orientalis(L.) Nordh and Anchusa undıılata L. subsp. hybrida (Ten.) Coutinho] collected from different localities in Turkey have been investigated. Fattv acid compositions of the seeds w ere determined by capillary gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MŞ). The seed oil content ranged from 11.20 % in A. azurea var. azurea to 22.85 % in A. leptophvlla subsp. leptophvlla. The fattv acid composition of the studied Anchusa taxa w as uniform. The muin fattv acid methyl ester s were determined to be oleic (29.0-42.7 %>), linoleic (12.5-32.0 %), erucic (3.4-17.9 %>), palmitic (4.4-16.3 %) and a-linolenic (0.3-10.8 %) acids. The content of GF4 ranged from 3.3 % in A. leptophvlla subsp. leptophvlla to 6.7 % in A. an’ensis subsp. orientalis. As a conclusion, these seed oils mav not be considered as new sources of GLA because oflow amoımts of GLA in the studied Anchusa species.

Keywords: Boraginaceae, Anchusa, y-Linolenic acid, Fattv acid, Gas chromatography