Comparison of fatty acid composition in seed kernels of tea plant (Camellia sinensis), between conventional cultivars and albino cultivars

Woody plants are important sources of edible oil, and the tea plant (Camellia sinensis) is a new option. In this study, the contents and composition of fatty acids in seed kernels of 10 conventional cultivars and 4 albino cultivars were analyzed and compared by GC-MS. A total of 22 fatty acids were identified. The main fatty acids were oleic acid (C18:1Δ9) (9.1051–15.0670%), linoleic acid (C18:2Δ9,12) (3.6386–7.7231%), and palmitic acid (C16:0) (2.3660–3.9445%), respectively. The ratio of saturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) and polyunsaturated fatty acids of albino cultivar “Zhonghuang 2” (ZH No.2) was 1.00:2.67:1.85, of which the proportion of MUFAs was significantly lower than those of most conventional cultivars and albino cultivar “Suyuhuang”. Therefore, it is necessary to determine the chemical constituents before the development and utilization of tea seeds, especially for albino cultivars. Furthermore, ZH No.2 could be chosen as parent for improving the fatty acid composition of tea seeds in the breeding project.木本植物是食用油脂的重要来源，茶树（Camellia sinensis）即为其中新兴的优质选择。本研究采用气相色谱-质谱联用（Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry，GC-MS）技术，对10个常规栽培品种与4个白化品种的茶籽仁中脂肪酸的含量及组成进行分析与比较。本研究共鉴定出22种脂肪酸，主要脂肪酸依次为油酸（C18:1Δ9）（9.1051%~15.0670%）、亚油酸（C18:2Δ9,12）（3.6386%~7.7231%）与棕榈酸（C16:0）（2.3660%~3.9445%）。白化品种"中黄2号"（ZH No.2）的饱和脂肪酸、单不饱和脂肪酸（monounsaturated fatty acids, MUFAs）及多不饱和脂肪酸的比例为1.00:2.67:1.85，其单不饱和脂肪酸占比显著低于多数常规品种及白化品种"苏御黄"。因此，在开发利用茶籽前明确其化学组成颇具必要性，针对白化品种尤为如此。此外，"中黄2号"可作为亲本应用于茶树育种项目，以改良茶籽的脂肪酸组成。