A comparative study on the fatty acid composition of the oils from five Bupleurum species collected from Turkey

The oil content and fatty acid compositions of 5 Bupleurum species (B. intermedium, B. lancifolium, B. croceum, B. rotundifolium, and B. cappadocicum) were determined. Their oil contents ranged from 2.87% to 4.20%. Gas chromatography (GC) was used for the fatty acid composition. Twenty-one fatty acids were identified and quantified by GC. Oleic acid (C18:1) accounted for more than 50% of the total fatty acids in 3 of the Bupleurum species (B. intermedium, B. lancifolium, and B. rotundifolium). The total unsaturated fatty acid contents varied from 67.28% in B. cappadocicum to 87.06% in B. rotundifolium. The total saturated fatty acids represent 12.94% to 32.72% of the total lipid content. The main saturated fatty acids were palmitic (C16:0), stearic (C18:0), and myristic (C14:0). Moreover, cluster analysis was performed to determine the relationship between the species in terms of the fatty acid profiles.