Characterization of fatty acids, triacylglycerols, phytosterols and tocopherols in peony seed oil from five different major areas in China.

• Characterization of five PSOs presented in TAGs, fatty acids, two micronutrients. • PSOs could enhance the contents of unsaturated fatty acidsand micronutrients. • Principal components analysis allows distinction of cultivation areas of PSOs. Peony (Paeonia lactiflora pall) is a unique plant in China, which is planted on a large scale in different areas. The study characterized the triacylglycerol (TAG), fatty acid (FA), phytosterol, and tocopherol in peony seed oil (PSO) from five cultivation areas in China. The FAs in PSO were mainly C 18 fatty acyl chains, especially α-linolenic acid (C 18:3n-3). The triacylglycerol of PSO was identified by UPLC-Q-ToF/MS, and the predominant TAGs were LnLnLn, LLnLn, LLLn, LnLO/LLL, and OOLn/OLL. As for the micronutrients, γ-tocopherol and β-sitosterol were main components of tocopherol and phytosterol, respectively. The obtained data were further analyzed by principal components analysis (PCA), which allowed differentiation of five PSOs by their cultivation areas. For the great potential in unsaturated fatty acid and micronutrients, PSO could be a good dietary resource of plant oil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]