DETAILED STUDIES ON SEED OIL OF SALICORNIA SOS-7 CULTIVATED AT THE EGYPTIAN BORDER OF RED-SEA

Eight lipid patterns of Salicornia seed oil have been elucidated using HPLC as the main tool of analysis in conjunction with capillary GLC. The whole oil is rich in linoleic (66.5%) with lower amount of linolen ic acid (1.4%). Of the 22 triglycerides (TG) determined, three major T G containing 3 and 2 linoleic acyls were detected by HPLC. The total t ecopherols content (720 ppm) was determined directly in the oil by HPL C and it was found that alpha-T (49.1%) and gamma-T (48.2%) are predom inating. The whole sterol profile, as determined by GLC, includes chol esterol (1.0%), brassicasterol (1.4%), campesterol (2.4%), 5-stigmaste rol (8.7%), beta-sitosterol (23.0%), spinasterol (17.0%), isofucostero l (0.8%), 7-stigmastenol (42.0%) and 7-avenasterol (3.7%). Furthermore , sterols patterns of the free (nonacylated) sterols (FS), acylated st erols (AS), free sterylglycosides (FSG) and acylated sterylglycosides (ASG) were determined by HPLC as their anthroylnitriles. FS and AS wer e determined as their steryl-9-anthroylnitriles (S-9-AN) whereas FSG a nd ASG were analysed as their sterylglycosidyl-1-anthroylnitriles (SG- 1-AN) at nanogram level. Comparing Salicornia SOS-7 oil with tradition al freshwater seed oils, Salicomia exhibits mostly a unique lipids con stitution.