DISTRIBUTION OF SINAPINE AND RELATED-COMPOUNDS IN SEEDS OF BRASSICA AND ALLIED GENERA

Total contents of aromatic choline esters and sinapine have been investigated in seeds of cruciferous species belonging to Arabis, Brassica, Cakile, Diplotaxs, Eruca, Hesperis, Matthiola, Raphanobrassica, Raphanus and Sinapis. Choline esters such as sinapine, isoferuloylcholine, feruloylcholine, hesperaline and 4-hydroxybenzoylcholine, have been found in many of the plants under study. Qualitative and quantitative distribution patterns of these compounds are genus-characteristic. This suggests them to be a useful tool in the chemotaxonomy of Crucifereae. In spite of their genus-specific distribution pattern, the capacity of plants to accumulate and store phenolic choline esters in seeds is highly variable within the genus Brassica. Besides a genetic control, the aromatic choline esters content is also influenced by environmental conditions. Brassica species with high and low chromosome numbers were compared according to their qualitative and quantitative aromatic choline ester content. Genomic divergence or affinity among the species under study are discussed.