Fatty acid profile of intact plants of two different sites and callus cultures derived from seed and leaf explants of Calophyllum brasiliense Cambess: A new resource of non-edible oil

Abstract

In Mexico, the oil seed from Calophyllum brasiliense is traditionally used for lighting, but the oil seeds and leaves have not yet been evaluated. In this work, two sites of C. brasiliense were studied: San Andres Tuxtla and Pajapan. The aim of this study was to characterize the fatty acid profile of the seed oil, leaves, and callus cultures from leaves or seed explants. Fatty acids of the leaves, seeds, and callus culture samples were extracted with hexane, esterified, and then analyzed in a Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. The San Andrés Tuxtla seeds had a significantly higher (P≤0.05) oil content: 58.2% versus 47.6% in Pajapan seeds. The seed oil recovered from the San Andrés Tuxtla samples showed higher amounts of linoleic acid (41.3%), while the oil recovered from the Pajapan seeds had remarkable oleic acid content (39.3%). The physicochemical parameters of San Andrés Tuxtla and Pajapan oils such as the density, viscosity, iodine, acid, and saponification values were measured and met the industrial standards for oil feedstock for biodiesel. The biomass growth of callus cultures was enhanced, and callus could produce fatty acids. These were mainly total saturated acids such as palmitic acid (31.32–39.18%) followed by stearic acid (19.52–21.18%). The main unsaturated fatty acid was oleic acid with values ranging from 23.14 to 31.63%. This is the first report on the fatty acid composition of seeds, leaves, and callus cultures from C. brasiliense. Therefore, this study can help to promote the importance of this agricultural product and can lead to biotechnological tools for the sustainable production of fatty acids or secondary metabolites.