Biochemistry of high stearic sunflower, a new source of saturated fats

Fats based on stearic acid could be a healthier alternative to existing oils especially hydrogenated fractions of oils or palm, but only a few non-tropical species produce oils with these characteristics. In this regard, newly developed high stearic oil seed crops could be a future source of fats an...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Salas, Joaquín J., Martínez-Force, Enrique, Harwood, John L., Venegas-Calerón, Mónica, Aznar-Moreno, José A., Moreno-Pérez, Antonio J., Ruiz-López, Noemí, Serrano-Vega, María J., Graham, Ian A., Mullen, Robert, Garcés Mancheño, Rafael
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2014
País:España
Institución:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Repositorio:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
OAI Identifier:oai:digital.csic.es:10261/115008
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/115008
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Helianthus annuus (sunflower)
High stearic acid mutants
Lipid metabolism
Regulation of stearate levels
Oil crops
Descripción
Sumario:Fats based on stearic acid could be a healthier alternative to existing oils especially hydrogenated fractions of oils or palm, but only a few non-tropical species produce oils with these characteristics. In this regard, newly developed high stearic oil seed crops could be a future source of fats and hard stocks rich in stearic and oleic fatty acids. These oil crops have been obtained either by breeding and mutagenesis or by suppression of desaturases using RNA interference. The present review depicts the molecular and biochemical bases for the accumulation of stearic acid in sunflower. Moreover, aspects limiting the accumulation of stearate in the seeds of this species are reviewed. This included data obtained from the characterization of genes and enzymes related to fatty acid biosynthesis and triacylglycerol assembly. Future improvements and uses of these oils are also discussed. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.