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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Peoria, Illinois » National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research » Bio-oils Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #431550
Research Project: Development of New Products and Markets from Novel and Commodity Oilseed Crops to Support U.S. Agriculture

Location: Bio-oils Research

Title: Potential of Orychophragmus violaceus seed oil in industrial applications

Author
item Winfield, Demichael
item Evangelista, Roque
item Moser, Bryan
item BANTCHEV, GRIGOR - Former ARS Employee
item Moser, Jill
item Cermak, Steven

Submitted to: Annual Meeting and Expo of the American Oil Chemists' Society
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/17/2026
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Orychophragmus violaceus (Ov) is a Brassicaceae that is commonly used as an ornamental plant for its distinct purple flowers. Recently, it was discovered that the seed oil contains two unique long chain dihydroxy fatty acids, nebraskanic (7,18-OH2-24:1) and wuhanic acids (7,18-OH2-24:2). The unique fatty acid composition of Ov makes it an attractive candidate as an oilseed crop in the United States. To evaluate the potential of Ov oil, we have analyzed the physichochemical properties of its seeds and seed oil. Cold-pressing of the seeds followed by hexane extraction of the press cake resulted in 39% crude oil yield. The oil was predominantly composed of wuhanic (51 wt%), linoleic (20 wt %) and nebraskanic (10 wt%) acids. The antioxidant composition of Ov oil was typical for vegetable oils, with a total tocopherol content of 653 µg g-1 and phytosterol content of 7.22 mg g-1. The kinematic viscosity at 40 °C (KV40) of the oil was 265 mm2 s-1, which was comparable to castor oil. The oil exhibited good oxidative stability with an oxidation onset temperature of 180 °C by PDSC and a Td95 of 314 °C by TGA. Ov oil exhibited desirable properties as a lubricant, with a pour point of -18 °C and superior lubricity compared to petrol-based oils. A series of estolides were prepared from Ov methyl esters and methyl oleate to further investigate its potential for developing biolubricants. Varying ratios of esters allowed for the properties of the resulting estolides to be tuned by controlling the estolide number (EN). Highly branched estolides with high ENs (up to EN=31.4) and high KV40 values (up to 4,162.4 mm2s-1) were achieved. The advantageous properties of these estolides could be useful in applications as an industrial fluid, in which higher viscosities are needed than what is typically achieved with vegetable oil derived lubricants. Additional studies into the industrial applications of Ov oil and its derivatives are currently underway.