Species-Specific Variation in Oil Content and Fatty Acid Profiles of Short-Duration Rapeseed and Mustard

Abstract

Oilseed Brassicas is the predominant and native source of edible oil in Bangladesh. The objective of this study is to investigate the species-specific variation in oil content and fatty acid profiles of rapeseed and mustard. Seed samples of 20, 10, and 4 genotypes from Brassica napus, Brassica juncea, and Brassica rapa were analyzed in a gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) apparatus. B. napus displayed the highest oil content of 33.11%, which was 5% higher than that of B. juncea. The oleic acid percentage in B. napus was 14.25%, which was 6% higher than that in B. juncea. By contrast, the contents of four polyunsaturated fatty acids were higher in B. juncea. The amount of erucic acid in the three species ranged between 47 and 50%. PC1 accounted for 41.5% of data variation, clearly separating B. juncea from the other two species. The variation in the percentages of oil and fatty acids paves the way for developing better edible Brassica oilseed through breeding.