Euonymus seeds can be used to extract unique vegetable oil

American scientists have refined a unique vegetable oil from its seeds by changing the biochemical characteristics of a shrub called spear, according to interesting science website June 22 This kind of vegetable oil is composed of acetylglycerides, which are very rare in nature It can be used as low calorie cooking oil or bio fuel for automobile Michael Pollard, a researcher at Michigan State University, said that the plant oil comes from the seeds of the shrub Plant Euonymus Scientists discovered the potential of the plant oil in the 1960s, but the seeds of Euonymus contain some toxic molecules, which hinders people's research and application Now researchers at the University of Michigan and the University of Wisconsin are using genetic engineering to change their biochemical properties, making the oil a key step toward commercialization In fact, all vegetable oils are made up of triglycerides, that is, long-chain hydrocarbons combined with organic molecular glycerin, while acetylglycerides are made up of middle chain hydrocarbons linked with acetic acid The relatively short chain of acetylglycerides means that the oil is "naturally" more liquid like than other vegetable oils, because the hydrocarbons don't get tangled together, making them less sticky This unique property allows it to be used in diesel engines, while other vegetable oils that want to be used in diesel engines must be chemically disconnected In addition, unlike most short chain oils, this oil remains liquid even at very low temperatures, Pollard said Moreover, the short chain oil based on acetic acid can also be a low calorie vegetable oil In the whole plant kingdom, only some plants have certain genes, which can shut down the normal pathway of triglyceride production and open the enzyme encoding short chain fat Among all these plants, the unique feature of Euonymus is that 98% of its seed oil is acetylglyceride Pollard said it's amazing to completely change the biochemical characteristics of a plant like this, and further tests are needed on how to use the oil, whether to use it as a biofuel or as a cooking oil.