Quantitative variation of fatty acid composition in seed oil from baobab (Adansonia digitata L.) wild populations in sub-Sahara Africa

Baobab (Adansonia digitata L., Malvaceae) seed oil contains Fatty Acids (FAs) with commercial and cosmeceutical value. The influence of provenance and geographical region on FAs profile and content of seed oil from baobab wild populations in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) was assessed in this study. The FA profiles were determined as fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) by Gas Chromatography (GC). Generally, the seed oil contained 17–22% saturated fatty acids (SFA), 32–38% monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and 22–26% polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). Palmitic acid (C16:0) was the most abundant SFA, while oleic (C18:1) and linoleic acid (C18:2, LA) were the dominant MUFA and PUFA, respectively. There existed significant (p < .05) variations in FAs concentration within and between the baobab provenances. Principal component analysis (PCA) was conducted to determine relationships between FAs, provenances and countries. The variation in FAs content can be attributed to genetic, edaphic and climatic factors due to geographical locations.