Fatty acid profile of an oleaginous endophytic Pseudofusicoccum sp. Isolated from Annona muricata

Abstract

This study was carried out to determine the fatty acid composition of secondary metabolites produced by a lipid-producing endophytic fungus Pseudofusicoccum sp. The fungus was isolated from the leaves of Annona muricata growing in Ifite Dunu, Anambra State, South-East Nigeria. Solid state fermentation was carried out using rice medium and the metabolites were extracted with ethyl acetate. The crude ethyl acetate extract was subjected to vacuum liquid chromatography (VLC), and the fatty acid profiles of the resulting oleaginous fractions were analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS). GC-MS analysis of the fractions revealed the abundance of both saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. Ethyl palmitate (17.31%) was the most abundant compound in F1; while bisabolol (11.45%), ethyl oleate (12.73%), and palmitic acid (22.22%) were predominant in F2. These compounds have been reported to show beneficial biological properties with potentials for pharmaceutical and industrial applications.