Fatty acids and tocochromanols in seeds of Orobanche.

The evaluation of tocochromanols (tocopherols and tocotrienols) in 49 accessions from 21 Orobanche species revealed three well separated groups. The first one, characterized by high gamma-tocotrienol content, included all the accessions of sect. Orobanche. The second one, exhibiting high gamma-tocopherol content, comprised the accessions of O. arenaria Borkh. and O. purpurea Jacq. (sect. Trionychon Wallr.). All the other accessions of this section presented high delta-tocopherol content. Differences for tocochromanol derivatives within sect. Trionychon were paralleled by differences in the fatty acid profile, with the high delta-tocopherol class having also a higher oleic to linoleic acid ratio.