Epicuticular waxes and volatiles from faba bean (Vicia faba) flowers

The floral bouquet of faba bean flowers was shown to be a complex mixture o f some 27 identifiable compounds. In addition to the ubiquitous mono and se squiterpenes, the porous-polymer entrained volatiles included a diverse ran ge of phenylpropenoids which together accounted for over 7% of the total. C innamyl alcohol was also found to be the most abundant free alcohol in the epicuticular wax of faba bean flowers. Two new classes of epicuticular wax esters consisting of saturated C-16, C-18, C-20, C-22 and C-24 fatty acids esterified with the phenylpropenoid, cinnamyl alcohol and with the diterpen e, phytol have been identified. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights r eserved.