Bishomopinolenic (7,11,14–20:3; BHP) acid has been identified in a sample of pine (Pinus contorta) seed oil by gas‐liquid chromatography‐mass spectrometry of its 4,4‐dimethyloxazoline and picolinyl ester derivatives. Neither 20:3n‐6 nor 18:3n‐6 acids could be detected. The distribution of BHP acid in the seed oils of four conifer families has been established. It only occurred in Pinaceae (Pinus, Abies, Cedrus, Tsuga, Pseudotsuga, Larix, and Picea; 72 species analyzed), where it could reach 0.7% of total fatty acids. It could not be detected in Taxaceae (Taxus baccata), Cupressaceae (Juniperus communis), or Taxodiaceae (Sciadopytis verticillata) seed lipids. It is assumed that BHP acid is the elongation product of pinolenic (5,9,12–18:3) acid, and that, at most, 3% of pinolenic acid is elongated to BHP acid. Consequently, the Δ5‐desaturation would not necessarily be a final step in the biosynthesis of unsaturated polymethylene‐interrupted fatty acids in Pinaceae seeds. Moreover, conifer seeds appear devoid of the Δ6‐desaturase.
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Wolff et al. (1997) studied this question.
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