Skip to main content
ARS Home » Midwest Area » Peoria, Illinois » National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research » Bio-oils Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #312016

Title: Fatty acid profile of seashore mallow (Kosteletzkya pentacarpos) seed oil and properties of the methyl esters

Author
item Knothe, Gerhard
item Moser, Bryan

Submitted to: European Journal of Lipid Science and Technology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/20/2015
Publication Date: 3/19/2015
Publication URL: http://handle.nal.usda.gov/10113/3469781
Citation: Knothe, G., Moser, B.R. 2015. Fatty acid profile of seashore mallow (Kosteletzkya pentacarpos) seed oil and properties of the methyl esters. European Journal of Lipid Science and Technology. 117(8):1287-1294. doi: 10.1002/ejlt.201400612.

Interpretive Summary: Recently, the seed oil of a plant commonly referred to as seashore mallow was reported as a potential source of biodiesel. Biodiesel, which is derived from sources such as plant oils or animal fats, is a renewable alternative to conventional diesel fuel obtained from petroleum. In this work, the composition of the biodiesel derived from the seashore mallow seed oil is evaluated and shown to differ from the previous work as well as other previous reports on its composition. The composition of the seashore mallow seed oil determined here agrees well with that of a plant from the same genus of plants. The composition of the seashore mallow biodiesel determined here is related to the fuel properties determined previously.

Technical Abstract: In recent literature, seashore mallow (Kosteletzkya pentacarpos; also known previously as Kosteletzkya virginica) seed oil was reported as a potential alternative feedstock for biodiesel. In the present work, the fatty acid profile of K. pentacarpos is shown to correspond to that of other plants in the Malvaceae family by containing approximately 6% fatty acids with cyclic moieties, namely malvalic acid as well as dihydrosterculic acid. Previously determined properties of biodiesel from seashore mallow are discussed under the aspect of the fatty acid profile. The 1H- and 13C-NMR spectra of K. pentacarpos methyl esters, which confirm the fatty acid profile, are also discussed.