Abstract
Gas chromatography (GC) with flame ionization detection (FID) and mass spectrometry (MS) detection were used to characterize the fatty acid (FA) compositions of ten commonly consumed (i.e., market class) pulses. Lipids from ground pulses were extracted using a classical chloroform/methanol extraction and quantified by GC-FID with structural confirmation by GC-MS. Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to FA compositions of the pulse extracts, and the pulses clustered into three distinct groups: one rich in linolenic acid, 18:3 (carbon number:unsaturation, C:U), one rich in 16:0, and one in which 18:1 was highest, along with predominant 18:2. These ten pulses averaged 46.1% linoleic acid (18:2), 22.7% oleic acid (18:1), 18.0% palmitic acid (16:0), and 7.6% linolenic acid (18:3). Individual values ranged widely, with 18:2 ranging from 26.0% in black beans to 48.4% in garbanzo beans. The greatest difference was in 18:3, which ranged from 2.2% in garbanzo beans to 38.8% in pinto beans. Oxo-FA were observed in all ten samples, and the distribution of oxo-FA in the samples also varied. Overall, the very different FA compositions of pulses lead to the possibility of breeding and genetic modification between pulses to produce the most desirable FA composition for nutritional benefit.