Fatty acid composition of seed oils from selected wild plants of Kahuzi-Biega National Park and surroundings, Democratic Republic of Congo

摘要

Oils were extracted from seeds ofCarapa grandifloraSprague (Meliaceae),Carapa proceraDC. (Meliaceae), Cardiospermum halicacabumLinn (Sapindaceae), Maesopsis eminiiEngler (Rhamnaceae), Millettia duraDunn (Fabaceae), Myrianthus arboreusP. Beauv. (Cecropiaceae), Myrianthus holstiiEngl. (Cecropiaceae), Pentaclethra macrophyllaBenth (Mimosaceae), Podocarpus usambarensisPilger(Podocarpaceae), Tephrosia vogeliiHook. (Fabaceae) andTreculia africanaDecne (Moraceae) collected from aforestinKahuzi-Biega National Park and the surrounding areas in Democratic Republic of Congo. Fatty acids in the oils were determined by gas chromatography to detect potential sources of various quality oils.Twenty-four fatty acids were detected in the seed oils and the most abundant were palmitic (16:0), stearic (18:0), oleic (18:1n9), linoleic (18:2n6) and α-linolenic (18:3n3) acids. Four fatty acids withtransdouble bonds and two fatty acids with non-methylene separated double bonds were detected in oils fromC. halicacabum, M. duraandT. vogelii. There were remarkable occurrences of very long chain fatty acids, particularly lignoceric and behenic acids.M. eminii, P. usambarensis,T.vogeliiandM. duraseed oils havepotential for use in foodsbecause of the contents of essential fatty acids.The oils fromC. grandiflora, C. procera, M. arboreus, M. holstiiandP. usambarensisshowed a high potential for use in the cosmetic industry due to theirfatty acids profile andhigh unsaponifiable matter content.