FATTY ACID COMPOSITION OF SOME CUCURBITACEAE SEED OILS

Abstract

Seed oils of nine species of Cucurbitaceae were analyzed by gas chromatography and other techniques. The oil of Ecballium elaterium yielded 22% of punicic acid; Cucumis dipsaceus and Cucurbita ficifolia had the ordinary palmitic-oleic-linoleic composition; a variety of Momordica charantia had 57% of [alpha]-eleostearic acid. Occurrence of punicic acid as the major acid of Trichosanthes anguina was confirmed. No evidence could be found for the existence of an isomer of linoleic acid in Telfairia pedata oil. The fatty acid composition was determined quantitatively for the above oils and for those of Cucumis melo, Lagenaria siceraria, and Luffa cylindrica. The 4-bromophenacyl esters of [alpha]-eleostearic and punicic acids were prepared.