Lo. Knowles et al., ALIPHATIC COMPONENTS OF THE EPICUTICULAR WAX OF DEVELOPING SASKATOON (AMELANCHIER ALNIFOLIA) FRUIT, Canadian journal of botany, 74(8), 1996, pp. 1260-1264
The epicuticular wax of saskatoon fruit (Amelanchier alnifolia Nutt. c
v. Smoky) was analyzed at four stages of maturity. Total wax per unit
surface area varied during fruit development, with a net decline from
the youngest to the most ripe stage. Surface wax ultrastructure, as re
vealed by scanning electron microscopy, consisted of pinhead-like crys
tals that decreased with maturity and platelike crystals that increase
d with maturity. The major aliphatic compounds were alkanes (C-23 to C
-29), long chain esters (C-36 to C-42), primary alcohols (C-20 to C-30
), and a secondary alcohol (C-29). The esters were composed of primary
alcohols (C-20 to C-28) and saturated fatty acids (C-16 to C-24). The
most abundant wax components at all stages were nonacosan-10-ol and n
onacosane.