GASCHROMATOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS OF THE SEED FAT OF THE MIDDLE AMERICAN FEVILLEA-CORDIFOLIA (CUCURBITACEAE)

The fat of the seeds of Fevillea cordifolia was extracted under exclusion of oxygen and light and then characterized by C-13-NMR in regard to the contained unsaturated acid moieties. The total fat was separated by HPLC to yield one major fraction (approximately 45%), one medium fraction (approximately 18 %) and some minor fractions. All substantial fractions showed the chromophore of a conjugated triene. According to MS-analysis the major fraction consists of distearyleleostearylglycerol. The total fat was converted by transesterification to a mixture of fatty acid methyl esters, which was analyzed by subsequent HPLC and GC: Main fatty acids were found to be stearic acid (53 %) and the triple conjugated alpha-eleostearic acid (31 %). Interestingly, punicic acid, which is isomeric to alpha-eleostearic acid and contained in various seed fats of Cucurbitaceae plants, could not be detected.