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Policosanol Content and Composition of Korean Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Cultivars

¹National Academy of Agricultural Science, Rural Development Administration, Suwon 441-707, Republic of Korea. ²Corresponding author. Phone: +82-31-299-1154. Fax: +82-31-299-1122. E-mail: kjkpj@korea.kr ³Department of Crop Science, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, 305-764, Republic of Korea.

Policosanols (PCs) are a group of long-chain alcohols that have been reported to have many beneficial physiological activities. In this study, the total content and composition of PCs in 15 rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivars from Korea were characterized by gas chromatography–time-of-flight mass spectrometry. This method proved to be sufficiently precise and accurate with respect to the degree of endogenous biological variability found in the rice samples. Octacosanol (C28) and triacontanol (C30) were the major components of PCs in all cultivars. In addition, there were positive correlations among the determined PC contents. Given its high PC content, the Heughyangbyeo cultivar may appear to be a good candidate for future breeding programs.