Assessment of Antinutritional Compounds and Chemotaxonomic Relationships between Camelina sativa and Its Wild Relatives

We compared the secondary metabolite composition in seeds of Camelina sativa and its wild relatives to identify potential germplasm with reduced levels of antinutritional compounds. Twenty Camelina accessions, from five different species, were analyzed by liquid chromatography mass spectrometry and subjected to principal component analysis, which revealed that Camelina spp. separated into distinct chemotaxonomic groups. Three major glucosinolates (GSs) were identified in our study, namely, 9-methylsulfinylnonyl GS (GS9), 10-methylsulfinyldecyl GS (GS10), and 11-methylsulfinylundecyl GS (GS11). While there were differences in total GS levels, species-specific patterns for GS9 and GS11 were noted. Sinapine content ranged between 1.4 and 5.6 mg/g FW, with the lowest levels observed in C. laxa and C. sativa. Lignin levels were also lowest in C. sativa, with most accessions containing less than 6 mg/g FW. Our results show that wild Camelina spp. have distinct metabolomes, and based on their levels of major antinutritionals, some could be incorporated into breeding programs with C. sativa.