title: Triacylglycerols and aliphatic alcohols from fruits of three Tunisian Pistacia lentiscus populations.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The search for other sources of vegetable oils by the exploitation and the enhancement of other oil plants will be needed to meet the demands of the international market. This study aims to determine the triacylglycerol (TAG) molecular species and aliphatic alcohol compositions of unexploited fruits of three Tunisian Pistacia lentiscus (lentisc) populations from the Korbous, Tebaba and Rimel areas of Tunisia.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Results show that the content of total TAG varies from 738.32 mg g(-1) of total lipid in the Tebaba population to 981.15 mg g(-1) of total lipid in the Korbous population. Furthermore, 14 species of TAG were detected in the three studied populations. In addition, 13 aliphatic compounds were identified and classified into two groups: (1) aliphatic alcohols with fewer than 20 carbon atoms (hexadecanol, heptadecanol, (Z)-octadec-9-en-1-ol, octadecanol and nonadécanol); and (2) the policosanol group (eicosenol, docosenol, docosanol tetracosanol, hexacosanol octacosanol and triacontanol). The Tebaba population showed a distinct composition compared to Korbous and Rimel where heptadecanol is the major compound.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Quantitatively, the most abundant TAG species are those constituted by palmitic, oleic and/or linoleic acid. Furthermore, the significant difference observed at the oil composition is associated with a remarkable station effect.
authors.affiliation: Université de Tunis El Manar, Département de Biologie, Faculté des Sciences de Tunis Laboratoire de Biochimie des Lipides, 2092 El Manar II, Tunis, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Hajer
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Trabelsi
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Mass Spectrometry, Chemistry Department, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 6 N5, Canada.
authors.forename: Justin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Renaud
authors.affiliation: Université de Tunis El Manar, Département de Biologie, Faculté des Sciences de Tunis Laboratoire de Biochimie des Lipides, 2092 El Manar II, Tunis, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Wahid
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Herchi
authors.affiliation: Université de Tunis El Manar, Département de Biologie, Faculté des Sciences de Tunis Laboratoire de Biochimie des Lipides, 2092 El Manar II, Tunis, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Sadok
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Boukhchina
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Mass Spectrometry, Chemistry Department, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 6 N5, Canada.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mayer
mesh_terms: D000438:Alcohols / Q000737:chemistry*; D005504:Food Analysis; D005638:Fruit / Q000737:chemistry*; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D027927:Pistacia / Q000737:chemistry*; D010938:Plant Oils / Q000737:chemistry; D021241:Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000737:chemistry*; D014416:Tunisia
chemical_list: D000438:Alcohols; D010938:Plant Oils; D014280:Triglycerides
keywords: Pistacia lentiscus; aliphatic alcohol; fruit composition; policosanol; triacylglycerol