Tissue culture of cocoa bean (Theobroma cacao L.): Incorporation of fatty acids into lipids of cultured cells.

Suspension cell cultures of cocoa bean rapidly incorporated palmitic, stearic, oleic and linoleic acids into cellular lipids. Thus, 75 and 20% of [1-(14)C] palmitic acid was incorporated into polar lipids and triglycerides, respectively, after 48 hr. When [1-(14)C] oleic and [1-(14)C] linoleic acid were added separately, polar lipids consistently contained most of the radioactive fatty acids. Ca. 60% of the stearic acid accumulated as unesterified fatty acid in the cells. Palmitic and stearic acid were not desaturated, but oleic acid and linoleic acid were further desaturated. The kinetics of conversion of oleic acid and linoleic acid suggested a sequential desaturation pathway of 18∶1→18∶2→18∶3 in cocoa bean cell suspensions.