A rapid and simple technique for determination of α-linolenic acid by spot test in perilla seeds

The objective of this study was to establish the effective use of spot test for early selection of perilla mutants which have low α-linolenic acid in seed oil. The average α-linolenic acid content with 30 accessions determined by GLC was 57.9% and the contents ranged from 51.4 to 65.6%. The results of spot test, red colour is related to high α-linolenic acid content in perilla whereas yellow colour indicates absence of α-linolenic acid. The colour density by an image analysis was highest in perilla among oil crops tested. The correlation coefficient between colour density by spot test and α-linolenic acid content determined by GLC was highly significant. Therefore, the spot test was considered useful as a preliminary screening method for the relative α-linolenic acid content in mutation breeding.