Thai jute seed oil: a potential polyunsaturated fatty acid source Sirithon Siriamornpun 1 , Duo Li 2 , Lifeng Yang 3 , Wanna Kanchanamayoon 4 and Maitree Suttajit 5 Abstract Siriamornpun, S., Li, D., Yang, L., Kanchanamayoon, W. and Suttajit, M. Thai jute seed oil: a potential polyunsaturated fatty acid source Songklanakarin J. Sci. Technol., 2006, 28(Suppl. 1) : 11-15 This study examined lipid and fatty acid compositions of different varieties of jute (Po-kra-jao, Corchorus olitorius L.) seed grown in Thailand. Four different jute seeds (Nonn-Soong, Keaw-Yai, Cuba and Khonkaen) harvested from northeastern Thailand were ground, their lipid was extracted with chloroform: methanol (2:1, v/v), and lipid composition was determined by Iatroscan (TLC/FID). Fatty acid composition was analyzed using GLC with standard methods. Triacylglycerol was a predominant lipid in jute seed oil, ranging from 70% to 74%, and other two minor components were phytosterol (12% to 28%) and diacyl- glycerol (0% to 9%). The ratio of saturates: monounsaturates: polyunsaturates, was approximately 2: 3: 4. Most predominant polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) was linoleic acid (18:2n-6), accounting for 40-67% of total fatty acid. Nonn-Soong had the highest amount of PUFA (67.7%), followed by Khonkaen (44.53%), Keaw-Yai (41.14%), and Cuba (40.19%). Another PUFA found was α-linolenic acid (18:3n-3), accounting for about 1% of total fatty acid. The results indicated that jute seed oil was a potential edible PUFA source. The oils obtained from different kinds of jute seeds had significantly different lipid and fatty acid compositions. Key words : jute seed, lipid, fatty acid, polyunsaturated fatty acid, Corchorus olitorius L. 1 Ph.D.(Food Science and Technology), 3 B.Sc.(Food Technolgy), Department of Food Technology and Nutrition, Faculty of Technology, 4 Ph.D.(Analytical Chemistry), Assoc. Prof., 5 Ph.D.(Biochemistry), Prof., Faculty of Science, Mahasarakham University, Kantarawichai, Maha Sarakham, 44000 Thailand. 2 Ph.D.(Nutrition and Food Safety), Prof., Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China. Corresponding e-mail: sirithons@hotmail com Received, 31 August 2004 Accepted, 14 November 2005 ORIGINAL ARTICLE