Integrated LC-MS/MS and transcriptome sequencing analysis to evaluate the feasibility of green and red prickly ash as biodiesel crops

Fatty acids are expected to replace fossil fuels for bioenergy and are also important raw materials in industrial production. Prickly ash fruits are rich in fatty acids and can be used as plant raw materials for industrial oil extraction and development. Here, we performed qualitative and quantitative analyses of fatty acids in green and red prickly ash fruits using transcriptome and LC–MS/MS. Myristic acid , vaccenic acid , linoleic acid , γ-linolenic acid, and α-linolenic acid were the main fatty acids detected. The carbon chain lengths of the main components of diesel are C15–C19, and the main components of prickly ash fruit oil are C16 and C18 fatty acids, which can be used to prepare biodiesel by acid-catalyzed esterification . In addition, the fatty acid biosynthetic pathway and RDA showed that KASII plays a key role in fatty acid synthesis . • Prickly ash fatty acid can be used as a raw material for production of biodiesel. • C18:3 and C18:2 were the main unsaturated fatty acids in prickly ash fruit. • KASII plays a key role in fatty acid synthesis.