RESUMO
It has been known since 1948 that seeds of Impatiens species (family Balsaminaceae) contain a polyconjugated 18:4 fatty acid, α-parinaric acid. Content of this acid is high in seeds of the two species of Impatiens native to eastern North America, I. capensis Meerb. and I. pallida Nutt. The cotyledons of these seeds also have an unusual blue pigmentation that disappears when lipids are extracted. Deposition of oil reserves and appearance of cotyledon color was observed during fruit development. Pods of I. capensis and I. pallida were measured daily after anthesis. Length increased linearly to a maximum of about 27 mm (I. capensis) and 30 mm (I. pallida) by day 10 after which increase in girth and fresh weight of pods, and fresh weight of seeds, increased exponentially. At maturity (15 days) seeds of I. pallida were twice the weight of seeds of I. capensis. Lipid reserves, extracted with chloroform-methanol, were detectable by day 6 and increased rapidly to 28% fresh weight (2 mg/seed) in seeds of I. capensis and to 24% (4 mg/seed) in I. pallida. The characteristic ultra-violet (uv) spectrum of α-parinaric acid was already present by day 6, and content of this acid increased to 42% of total lipids in I. capensis and to 30% in I. pallida at maturity. Fatty acids as determined by gas chromatography of oil of mature seeds were 16:0 (13%, I. capensis; 11%, I. pallida); 16:1 (trace); 18:0 (2%); 18:1 (20%, 25%); 18:2 (17%, 14%); 18:3 + 18:4 (48%, 47%). Electron micrographs of mature seeds of I. capensis showed abundant oleosomes and protein bodies. The blue color of the cotyledons was faint at day 11 and then intensified with age. It was somewhat paler in I. pallida than in I. capensis, suggesting that it may be associated with the presence of α-parinaric acid.
