Comparative citrus fatty acid profiles of triglycerides, monogalactosyl diglycerides, steryl esters and esterified steryl glucosides.

Vesicular lipids from six orange and two tangor varieties were extracted, purified and separated by chromatography into triglycerides, monogalactosyl diglycerides, steryl esters and esterified steryl glucosides. Methyl esters of the fatty acids found in these four lipids were prepared and analyzed by gas liquid chromatography. Each of the eight citrus varieties gave a series of four profiles which could be distinguished from the others. The Temple tangor has four profiles all showing a large percentage of linolenic acid. In all varieties steryl esters and to a lesser extent esterified steryl glucosides contain relatively large concentrations of 22∶0 to 26∶0 saturated acids. The profiles differ markedly from the patterns found for these four lipids in other higher plants studied.