INHERITANCE OF REDUCED SATURATED FATTY ACID CONTENT IN SUNFLOWER OIL

Authors: Vick, Brady; Jan, Chao-Chien; Miller, Jerry

Submitted to: European Conference on Sunflower Biotechnology
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/3/2002
Publication Date: 7/1/2002
Citation: VICK, B.A., JAN, C.C., MILLER, J.F. INHERITANCE OF REDUCED SATURATED FATTY ACID CONTENT IN SUNFLOWER OIL. HELIA. 2002. V. 25 (36). P. 113-122.

Interpretive Summary: During the 1990s, consumers in the United States began to show interest in reducing the saturated fat content of their diet. Studies have shown that high levels of saturated fat consumption are correlated with increased risk of coronary heart disease. While the 120 to 130 g kg-1 saturated fatty acid content of sunflower oil is considered low compared to most vegetable oils, canola oil with about 70 g kg-1 saturated fatty acids remains a major competitor to sunflower oil in the marketplace. Manufacturers of canola oil products exploit the low saturated fatty acid content in their advertising strategies. For sunflower oil to compete with canola oil and other vegetable oils with low saturated fatty acid content, it is desirable to decrease the saturated fat level of sunflower oil. This paper reports the development of two germplasm lines, RS1 and RS2, which are low in saturated fatty acids. The lines were selected from a cultivated sunflower line, PI 250542, collected in Egypt by Paul Knowles and deposited into the USDA-ARS National Plant Germplasm System in 1958.

Technical Abstract: In recent years, consumers have become concerned with reducing the saturated fat content of their diet. Studies have indicated that high levels of saturated fat consumption are correlated with increased risk of coronary heart disease. The total saturated fat content of oil from current sunflower hybrids averages about 130 g kg-1. To identify sunflower germplasm with reduced saturated fatty acid composition, a total of 884 cultivated sunflower accessions from the USDA-ARS North Central Regional Plant Introduction Station, Ames, Iowa, were screened for fatty acid composition by gas chromatography. PI 250542, a cultivar collected in Egypt by Paul Knowles and deposited into the National Plant Germplasm System in 1958, was identified as an accession with reduced saturated fatty acid content. The fatty acid composition of 26 half-seeds of PI 250542 was determined, and the seeds with lowest saturated fatty acids were grown in the greenhouse. Pollen from a single plant was used to pollinate NMS HA 89, and the F1 seed was grown in the field and self- pollinated. After three generations of selection by half-seed analysis, two lines with a low saturated fatty acid trait were selected. Line RS1 has a striped black and dark gray achene, whereas line RS2 has a light gray achene which often bleaches to white when grown in the field. The total saturated fatty acid composition of RS1 including C16 to C24 fatty acids was 77 g kg-1, and for RS2 was 76 g kg-1 when grown at Fargo, North Dakota, in 2000.