The triglyceride composition of 17 seed fats rich in octanoic, decanoic, or lauric acid

Seed fats of eight species ofLauraceae (laurel family), six species ofCuphea (Lythraceae family), and three species ofUlmaceae (elm family) were extracted, and the triglycerides were isolated by preparative thin‐layer chromatography. GLC of the triglycerides on a silicone column resolved 10 to 18 peaks with a 22 to 58 carbon number range for each fat. These carbon number distributions yielded considerable information about triglyceride compositions of the fats. The most interesting finding was withLaurus nobilis seed fat, which contained 58.4% lauric acid and 29.2–29.8% trilaurin. A maximum of 19.9% trilaurin would be predicted by a 1, 2, 3‐random, a 1, 3‐random‐2‐random, or a 1‐random‐2‐random‐3‐random distribution of the lauric acid3. This indicates a specificity for the biosynthesis of a simple triglyceride byLaurus nobilis seed enzymes.Cuphea lanceolata seed fat also contained more simple triglyceride (tridecanoin) than would be predicted by the fatty acid distribution theories.