Abstract
The present study provides the first comparative fatty acid profiling of the three Indian seabuckthorn species, collected from varying altitudes (2900-4300 masl) of Trans-Himalayas (Hippophae rhamnoides, H. tibetana) and Sikkim Himalayas (H. salicifolia) regions. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis showed variability in fatty acid composition of different seabuckthorn populations. Sikkim populations showed higher (1.28-1.6 folds) palmitic acid than Trans-Himalayan populations which possess higher linoleic (1.3-1.5 folds) and linolenic (1.6-1.8 folds) acids. Interestingly, a strong altitudinal gradient associated positive correlation was observed with the degree of unsaturation and PUFA content while negative correlation was observed with saturated fatty acids content of different seabuckthorn populations. H. salicifolia collected from Sikkim showed healthy ω-6:ω-3 ratio (closer to 1:1) of functional lipids exhibiting its better nutraceutical potential than other commonly used seed oils. Interestingly, H. tibetana from Losar showed higher (5.81) degree of unsaturation than Sikkim populations (3.5) suggesting its better stress tolerance trait. Chemo-taxonomic diversity analysis also formed two broad clusters of Trans-Himalayan and Sikkim populations which correlated with earlier taxonomic studies.