Pıtrak (Xanthium strumarium L.) Meyve Olgunluk Seviyesinin Meyve Yağ Asitlerinin Üzerinde Etkisinin Belirlenmesi

Abstract

Cocklebur is a very precious medicinal plant due to its biochemical contents with antioxidant, antimicrobial, and antioxidants. It can also be evaluated as a source of energy. Cocklebur seeds and seed oil is not edible and contains 67% more biomass than cotton. Therefore, it can be evaluated as a sustainable energy source. Recently, the use of cocklebur as biodiesel makes this plant a point of interest for researchers. However, more studies are needed for evaluating factors that affect the quality of this kind of oil for the desired application. The fatty acid profile of matured and immature oil of cocklebur whole fruits including seeds from Osmaniye province in Turkey was investigated in this study. Although the main fatty acid in the immature sample was oleic acid with 50.17%, its amount (25.96%) decreased in mature sample oil converting linoleic acid which is the major fatty acid of cocklebur seed oil. Mature fruit oil had a higher amount of USFA (81.34%) than immature fruit oil (56.09%). These results showed that maturation status significantly affected the concentration and rates of fatty acids in studied Cocklebur. This study will help international researchers evaluate qualified seed oils for application in industry and biodiesel production.