JOURNAL OF NANJING FORESTRY UNIVERSITY ›› 2021, Vol. 45 ›› Issue (6): 111-118.doi: 10.12302/j.issn.1000-2006.202012017

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Chemical compositions of Quercus virginiana seeds and their responses to soil property

LI Qingyang(), WANG Shufeng, WU Shutian, WANG Ruohui, SHI Xiang, MO Runhong, LIU Yihua*()   

  1. Research Institute of Subtropical Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Hangzhou 311400, China
  • Received:2020-12-10 Accepted:2021-07-12 Online:2021-11-30 Published:2021-12-02
  • Contact: LIU Yihua E-mail:1183956498@qq.com;liuyh@caf.ac.cn

Abstract:

【Objective】 To provide a theoretical basis for the development and utilization of Quercus virginiana, the chemical compositions of Q. virginiana seeds collected from different regions of China were investigated and the responses of these compositions to various soil site conditions were also studied. 【Method】 The chemical compositions of seeds from Q. virginiana were analyzed by spectrophotometry, GC-FID, ICP-MS, and so on. The differences in chemical compositions among the different regions were compared based on the variance analysis. In addition, the effects of site conditions on the chemical compositions were also revealed by the correlation analysis. 【Result】 The results showed that the starch content of Q. virginiana seeds ranged from 56.59% to 68.59% and that the proportion of amylopectin (61.74%) was significantly higher than that of amylose (38.26%). The average tannin was 30.14 mg/mL. The oil content of Q. virginiana seeds was as high as 11.36%. In addition, 10 fatty acids were found in the oil, among which oleic acid was dominant (more than 50%). The average vitamin E amount was 358.44 mg/kg, and γ-VE was the main configuration (more than 97%). The total contents of 15 amino acids ranged from 4 250.00 to 4 723.17 mg per 100 g. Moreover, the seeds contained abundant microelements including K, Ca and P, the content of K was 6 460.20 mg/kg, while microelements such as Cu, Fe and Na, among them, the content of Na is the hightest, which was 40.87 mg/kg. The coefficients of variation of the chemical compositions among different regions, in which tannin and the oil content showed a relatively notable response to the site conditions, with complex correlation coefficients of 0.937 and 0.941, respectively. Soil factors mainly show that soil salinity has the most extensive influence and is significantly correlated with tannin, oil content, saturated fatty acid, and other components in Q. virginiana seeds. 【Conclusion】 The oil content of Q. virginiana seeds was higher than that of other seeds found in the literature. On the other hand, these seeds were rich in starch, unsaturated fatty acids, amino acids, and mineral elements, which allow for the broad exploitation and utilization prospects of Q. virginiana seeds. Some chemical compositions in the seeds, especially tannins, had significant responses to site conditions. The response effects were mainly due to the salinity of the soil. This study provides a theoretical basis for the selection of planting area, multi-functional utilization, and precise processing of Q. virginiana seeds.

Key words: Quercus virginiana, seed, chemical composition, soil property

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