Triacylglycerol composition of winged bean (Psophocarpus tetragonolobus)

Winged beans were extracted with hexane and the extracted lipid was analyzed by HPLC for its triacylglycerol (triglyceride) composition on a Lichrosorb RP-18 column with acetonitrile-tetrahydrofuran-dichloromethane (6:2:1) solvent mixtures. The chromatography yielded more than 21 peaks, and each triacylglycerol was analyzed for fatty acids by GLC. The major triacylglycerols were found to be behenoyl-linoleoyl-oleoylglycerol (21.3%), trioleoylglycerol (10.5%) and behenoyl-dioleoylglycerol (15.6%). Winged bean oil was found to contain triacylglycerols of larger ECN (equivalent carbon number) than soybean oil.