Abstract

Horse chestnut (Hippocastani semen) seed is an important raw material for the pharmaceutical industry because it contains a series of biologically active substances: starch (30 to 40%), saponins (10%), fatty oil (5.5%), proteins (6%), cellulose (2%), reductive sugars (5.5%) and ash (1.3%). However, the variability of fatty oil content in horse chestnut seed (H. oleum) has been insufficiently investigated. This study was performed in populations of horse chestnut trees in towns of Serbia and in the plantation on Mt. Avala. The seeds were collected from 15 test trees of each locality. The content of fatty oil in the seed cotyledons was determined by extraction with petrol ether in the apparatus after Soxlet. Fatty acids were determined and identified in the fatty oil. The analysis was performed by the method of gas chromatography (by the gas chromatograph »Varian« model 1400 with flame ionising detector). The presence of ten fatty acids was determined: myristic, palmitic, palmitoleic, stearic, oleic, linoleic, arachic, linolenic, eicosenoic and erucic acids. Based on the results, it can be concluded that horse chestnut seed, according to fatty oil content, composition and representation of individual fatty acids, is a significant raw material for pharmaceutical and chemical industries.

Key words: Aesculus hippocastanum L., Hippocastani semen, special-purpose plantation, pharmaceutical industry.