Abstract

The fatty acid composition of the seeds from 36 blackcurrant genotypes was examined to determine the range of GLA contents. Other nutritionally important fatty acids, -linolenic acid (ALA) and stearidonic acid (SA), were also examined. A rapid small-scale procedure, involving homogenisation of seeds in toluene followed by sodium methoxide transesterification and gas chromatography, was used. A comparison of the proposed method with a large-scale procedure was included. The GLA content varied from 11 to 24%, and three genotypes showed particularly high levels (22-24%), previously not reported for blackcurrant oil. ALA and SA contents varied from 10-19% and 2-4%, respectively. The study shows the validity of the use of the rapid small-scale method and the potential for developing blackcurrant cultivars with 'added value'.