FATTY-ACID VARIABILITY FROM NONPOLAR LIPIDS IN SOME LAMIACEAE

Fatty acids (FAs) were separated from non-polar lipids of several gene ra of the Lamiaceae. Leaves and flowers were analysed separately and f ree FAs (FFAs), FAs hydrolysed from diacylglycerols (DGs) and triacylg lycerols (TGs) were determined in order to evaluate their variability and chemotaxonomic significance. Saturated and unsaturated FAs were se parated and identified by means of TLC and GC-MS. The data were statis tically processed using bivariate (two-way ANOVA) and multivariate (cl uster analysis and principal component analysis) methods. The results indicated high levels of interspecific variability for all FAs identif ied with high contents of palmitate (16:0), linoleate (18:2) and linol enate (18:3). Our findings suggested that FAs from non-polar lipids an d the 18:3/18:2 and 16:0/16:1 ratios from FFAs, DGs and TGs had no use fulness as chemotaxonomic markers when separated from leaves and flowe rs of the Lamiaceae studied.