The effects of pollen source on the fatty acid profile of Macadamia kernels

Abstract

Macadamia nuts are an abundant source of the monounsaturated fats (59 %), oleic (50 %−65 %) and palmitoleic acid (12 %−30 %). As macadamia is generally an outcrossing species, this study focuses on the effect of both the maternal (seed parent) and paternal (pollen parent) genotype on the accumulation of the principal fatty acids in macadamia using a controlled 3 × 3 pollination trial. Both the seed parent and pollen parent were observed to significantly impact the fatty acid profile of macadamia nut kernels. In addition, the general combining abilities (GCA) of the parental cultivars and specific combining abilities (SCA) of parental crosses were determined, as well as identifying maternal/paternal combinations that could significantly increase palmitoleic acid and oleic acid, or decrease saturated fat concentration. These results provide evidence for the first time that pollen source has a significant impact on the fatty acid profile of macadamia kernels, and that previous reporting of the fatty acid profiles of macadamia cultivars is likely to be variable, due to the unknown genotype of pollen sources.