ABSTRACT
References ......................................................................................................................................224
Certain plants contain conjugated polyunsaturated fatty acids (CPUFAs) as major fatty acids in their seed lipids1,2. Aleurites fordii (Euphorbiaceae) has 9Z,11E,13E-octadecatrienoic acid known as α-eleostearic acid and β-eleostearic acid (9E,11E,13E-octadecatrienoic acid) at a level of more than 70% of total fatty acids. A. fordii produces tung oil which is used in the paints and coating industries. Karela (Momordica charantia) also contains α-eleostearic acid at a level of 50% in its seed oil. Catalpa ovata or C. bignonioides (Bignoniaceae) has catalpic acid (9E,11E,13Z-octadecaterienoic acid), while Punica granatum (Punicaceae), Cucurbita digitata or C. palmata (Cucurbitaceae) have punicic acid (9Z,11E,13Z-octadecatrienoic acid). Calendida officinalis (Compositae) and Jacaranda mimosifolia (Bignoniaceae) have calendic acid (8E,10E,12Z-octadecatrienoic acid) and jarcaric acid (8Z,10E,12Z-octadecatrienoic acid), respectively. These CPUFAs are generally called conjugated linolenic acid (CLN), because they are positional and geometrical isomers of linolenic acid. Most CPUFAs present in plants contain three conjugated double bonds and 18 carbons, but α-parinaric acid (9Z,11E,13E,15E-octadecatrienoic acid), which contains four conjugated double bonds, exists in Impatiens edgworthii1.
