Lipid components of borage (Borago officinalis L.) seeds and their changes during germination

The changes in composition of total and neutral lipids (NL) as well as glycolipids (GL) and phospholipids (PL) of borage (Borago officinalis L.) seeds, germinated in the dark at 25^°C for 10 d, were studied. Total lipids constituted 34.0% of the dry matter of borage seeds. During germination, the content of total lipids was decreased by 95%. NL accounted for 95.7% of total lipids prior to germination and were composed of triacylglycerols (TAG; 99.1%), diacylglycerols (DAG; 0.06%), monoacylglycerols (MAG;0.02%), free fatty acids (FFA;0.91%), and sterols (0.02%). The content of TAG was significantly (P≤0.05) decreased, while that of other components, such as MAG and FFA, significantly (P≤0.05) increased during germination. However, the content of DAG did not change. GL and PL accounted for 2.0 and 2.3% of total lipids, respectively, and their contents significantly (P≤0.05) increased as germination proceeded. The thin layer chromatography-flame-ionization detection studies showed that phosphatidylcholine (PC; 69.7%) was the major PL present. The total content of phosphatidylserine (PS) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), which were coeluted, was 18.2%; phosphatidic acid (PA) was present at 11.2% of the total PL fraction. Lysophosphatidylcholine was detected at 0.9%. The proportion of PC, PS, and PE significantly (P≤0.05) decreased during germination, but that of PA increased (P≤0.05) markedly. The fatty acid composition of lipid fractions changed as germination proceeded. The predominant fatty acids of total lipids, NL, and GL were linoleic and linolenic acids, while those of PL were linoleic and palmitic acids. The present study demonstrated that the overall changes of lipids seen in borage seeds during germination agree well with results for other oilseeds. Changes in lipid compositions during germination result from the formation of tissues and metabolic interconversion of lipid classes. Rapid changes in lipid composition during seed germination may enhance the nutritional value of the sprouts.