Seed chemical variation in Prosopis chilensis from Argentina

Ten Prosopis chilensis populations from different phytogeografic areas of Argentina were analyzed chemically in their proximate and fatty acid composition. Oil and protein contents varied between 2.5–6.6% and 29.2–38.6%, respectively. Ash content ranged from 3.1 to 4.6%. The seed lipids contained a relatively large proportion of unsaturated fatty acids with linoleic acid as predominant. The results showed that: (a) There was a significant variation among populations in their chemical components, (b) moisture, ash and protein contents, and saturated fatty acids had not significant correlation with geographic parameters analyzed; (c) some unsaturated fatty acids correlated significantly with altitude. The variability observed might indicate that there is sufficient intraspecific differences to permit improvement by selection and breeding.