title: The triglyceride composition of 17 seed fats rich in octanoic, decanoic, or lauric acid.
abstract: Seed fats of eight species ofLauraceae (laurel family), six species ofCuphea (Lythraceae family), and three species ofUlmaceae (elm family) were extracted, and the triglycerides were isolated by preparative thin-layer chromatography. GLC of the triglycerides on a silicone column resolved 10 to 18 peaks with a 22 to 58 carbon number range for each fat. These carbon number distributions yielded considerable information about triglyceride compositions of the fats.The most interesting finding was withLaurus nobilis seed fat, which contained 58.4% lauric acid and 29.2-29.8% trilaurin. A maximum of 19.9% trilaurin would be predicted by a 1, 2, 3-random, a 1, 3-random-2-random, or a 1-random-2-random-3-random distribution of the lauric acid(3). This indicates a specificity for the biosynthesis of a simple triglyceride byLaurus nobilis seed enzymes.Cuphea lanceolata seed fat also contained more simple triglyceride (tridecanoin) than would be predicted by the fatty acid distribution theories.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, College Station, Texas.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Litchfield
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Harlow
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Reiser