Public Release: 27-Aug-2018
Serendipitous discovery by IUPUI researchers may lead to eco-friendly lubricant
Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis School of Science
INDIANAPOLIS -- Seed oil components of an ornamental flower could provide a direct pathway for designing a new class of environmentally friendly lubricants. Researchers at the School of Science at IUPUI identified the compound in the seed oil that is produced in a manner unlike any other fatty acid. The study was published today online in the journal Nature Plants.
The Orychophragmus violaceus plant is a purple flower native to China; it's commonly referred to as the February orchid. While collaborating on the O. violaceus plant's biology and genetic makeup, researchers at Huazhong Agricultural University in Wuhan, China, and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln encountered a bit of a mystery: All plant seeds contain oils as energy reserves for later growth, but researchers noticed the February orchid seed oils were unusual.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-08/iuui-sdb082718.php
