Fatty acids of asparagus seed oil

Summary Asparagus seed, Mary Washington variety, was found to contain 14.7% of glyceride oil having iodine value 135.1, saponification value 185.5, and unsaponifiable matter 1.46%. The oil was converted to methyl esters, and the mixed esters were separated by fractional distillation and low‐temperature crystallization. The acids were identified by chemical and physical methods. The % composition of the fatty acids is estimated from the data as follows: palmitic 3, linoleic 57, oleic 27, stearic 2, eicosenoic 1.5, arachidic 0.6, undetermined 9. The oil is somewhat similar to corn oil in composition. It has at least 2% of acids of the C 20 series, which have not been reported previously in this plant family ( Liliaceae ).