Sunflower and rapeseed are among the most important sources of vegetable oil for food and industry. The main components of vegetable oil are triglycerides (TAGs) (about 97%). Ultra- performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (UPLC⁻MS) profiling of TAGs in sunflower and rapeseed has been performed and the TAG profiles obtained for these species have been compared. It has been identified that 34 TAGs are shared by sunflower and rapeseed. It was demonstrated that TAGs 52:2, 52:5, 52:6, 54:3; 54:4, 54:7, 56:3, 56:4, and 56:5 had the highest variability levels between sunflower and rapeseed with the higher presence in rapeseed. TAGs 50:2, 52:3, 52:4, 54:5, and 54:6 also showed high variability, but were the most abundant in sunflower. Moreover, the differences in TAG composition between the winter-type and spring-type rapeseed have been revealed, which may be associated with freezing tolerance. It was shown that winter-type rapeseed seeds contain TAGs with a lower degree of saturation, while in spring-type rapeseed highly saturated lipids are the most abundant. These findings may give new insights into the cold resistance mechanisms in plants the understanding of which is especially important in terms of global climate changes.
Keywords: cold resistance; freezing tolerance; rapeseed; spring-type rapeseed; sunflower; triglycerides; ultraperformance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (UPLC–MS); winter-type rapeseed.