Triacylglycerol composition of British bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) seed oil

Abstract

Bluebell seeds were collected from the same location for five different growth periods (2006–2010). The composition of fatty acids in the triacylglycerols present in bluebell seeds was determined using ¹H- and ¹³C NMR and GC-MS of fatty acid methyl esters with good agreement between the different methods of analysis for the proportion of individual fatty acids. The seed oil comprised 80% ω-9 monounsaturated (C18:1, C20:1, C22:1), 10% ω-6,9 biunsaturated (C18:2) and 10% saturated fatty acids (C16:0, C18:0, C20:0, C22:0). The oil contained 25% of fatty acids with 20 or 22 carbon chain length. Gondoic acid (C20:1) was present at 20% and there was a consistency in the composition of the seed oil for the different harvest years. Based on the composition of bluebell seed oil, possible future uses are suggested and the combination of bio refining bluebell seeds in tandem with conservation efforts is proposed.