OILS-009: Lipid Content and Fatty Acid Profiles in Seed, Pulp, and Shell of Saba Senegalensis Fruit from Different Focations of Burkina Faso

Saba is a tangy to sweet or sweet-sour yellowish fruit produced by the wild vine Saba senegalensis (Apocynaceae). Saba is increasingly domesticated as an edible ornamental plant for its nutritional and therapeutic properties. Tasty and aromatic, this highly prized fruit is eaten raw or transformed into juice, syrup and jam. However, there are few in-depth studies on Saba composition, especially the lipids. Data about fatty acids profile of Saba fruit are limited, moreover on the lipid composition of the fruits parts from different locations. The aim of the present study was to determine the total oil content, fatty acid profile and evaluate their variation in the pulp, seed and shell of Saba fruits collected from six different geographical locations of Burkina Faso [Centre (C), Centre-Sud (CS), Centre-Ouest CO), Boucle du Mouhoun (BM), Hauts-bassins (HB) and Nord (N)]. On average, the total lipids content in the dry pulp (8.5% ± 2.9) was significantly higher than in the shell (3.8% ± 0.4) and seeds (1.5% ± 0.2). Lipids of Saba seeds and shells are mainly unsaturated, at 76.2%±3.4 and 73±14, respectively, whereas in the pulp, saturated fatty acids account for 56±12, with significant variations between samples from different locations. In the seeds and shells, the main fatty acid was 18:1, with values ranging from 44.2%±0.5 in BM to 46.5%±0.2 in HB, and from 27,5%±0.3 in HD to 44.0%±2.8 in N, respectively. In the shell, variations in both linoleic and α-linolenic acids varied significantly, depending on the locations. For example, values for 18:2 were 29.9%±1.0 and 28.6%±0.4 in the HB and C, respectively, and α-18:3 levels ranged from 7.8%±1.2 in the N region to 15.0±0.4 in the HB region. The fatty acid composition varied the most in the pulp. Values for α-18:3 ranged from 12,6%±0.1 to 23,6%±0.6 in CO and S regions, respectively, whereas the content in 16:0, the main fatty acid in the pulp, varied from 28,8%±1.3 in BM to 33.4%±1.2 in HB. Data indicate that seed and shell have low lipid contents, that are high in unsaturated FA, whereas the pulp provide higher levels in saturated FA . Analysis shows geographical variation trends among Saba populations which correlate with environmental variations, and could help in identifying elite populations with targeted higher nutritional and functional relevance.