Identification and Determination of the Fatty acid Composition of Hypericum fursei from Iran

Organic fatty acids are naturally found in vegetables and fruits and may be formed during processes like fermentation or may be added into food during the manufacturing process. Numerous species of the plants which are rich fatty acids especially in seeds are of great importance as herbs and spices [1-2]. Chemical characteristics and fatty acid composition of Hypericum fursei seed oil were evaluated in this study. The hexane extracts from seed of H. fursei, which was collected from north-western Iran, was obtained by Soxhlet apparatus. The fatty acids were derived to methyl esters and determined by gas chromatography/flame ionization detector (GC/FID) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) systems. The oil from seed extract contained 9, 12- octadecadienoic acid (linoleic acid or ω- 6 ) (54.6%). The other main components were hexadecanoic acid (palmitic acid) (23.0%), octadecanoic acid ( stearic acid ) (12.6%) and 9-hexadecenoic acid (4.7%). Hexane extract of seed from H. fursei detected as an important source of ω-6 compound. Our results support the ethno-pharmacological uses of this plant in folk medicine and could provide useful data for the utilization of this fatty acid in pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food industries.