Oil Content and Fatty Acid Characteristics in Mediterranean Sesame Core Collection

The Mediterranean sesame core collection is a valuable genetic resource for the development of seed quality and quantity. To better characterize and exploit the core collection, this study investigated the oil and fatty acid composition of seeds in the collection. Oil content, determined by a Soxhlet apparatus, varied from 32.3 to 57.3%, with a mean of 46.6%. Oil yield varied greatly among the accessions, with the highest oil yield being 891.1 kg ha(-1). Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) determination of fatty acid composition within the core collection showed significant differences among genotypes. Oleic acid contents ranged from 38.2 to 47.3% and linoleic acid contents from 31.0 to 40.9%. Up to 80% of fatty acids were unsaturated, indicating their importance for human dietary needs. Palmitic and stearic acids were present in small amounts in all accessions, ranging from 8.85 to 12.0% and from 6.3 to 8.9%, respectively. These results indicated that oil profiles varied widely among seeds in the Mediterranean sesame core collection, providing information that may enable the development of new varieties with high oil contents. A cluster analysis of fatty acid data based on continent affiliation yielded results highly similar to those of a cluster analysis based on agromorphological data. To our knowledge, this is the first report indicating that agromorphological and oil composition data were compatible with geographical patterns.