Assessment of Fatty Acids and Phenolic Content of some Citrullus colocynthis Accessions seeds from Iran.

Bitter melon (Colocynth) is a species of herbs, annual medicinal plant of family Cucurbitaceae which are mainly grown in warm regions of Iran. Fatty acids of the seeds of this plant are considered as important materials, medicinally. In this study, essential fatty acids of seed collected from nine different regions of Iran were evaluated. The composition of fatty acids such as oleic, linoleic, stearic and palmetic acid were measured by GC (Gas Chromatography). The total fatty acid content in the seed was varied from 35% to 40%. The highest content of linoleic fatty acid was found in seeds of Orzooiyeh accessions (72.4%) and the maximum amount of oleic acid was in Khorasgan (13.8%%). Kerman accession was important in case of phenolic content which was 8810.9 mg GAE/g based on results fatty acids contents were significantly differed among different accessions and there were valuable accessions considering unsaturated fatty acids and total phenolic compounds. These plant materials could be used for improving breeding programs and selection to plant as valuable accessions.