UTILIZATION AND CROPPING POSSIBILITIES OF EUPHORBIA LAGASCAE SPRENG. IN HUNGARY

Abstract

Euphorbia lagascae Spreng. is an annual spurge native to south-eastern Spain and Sardinia. The species is characterized by its valuable seed oil content (48-52%) consisting of about 58-62% cis-12, 13-epoxyoleic acid, also called vernolic acid (oleic acid with an epoxy group) with attractive applications for the oleo-chemistry. As a long-chain fatty acid, vernolic acid can have various utilizations, e.g. dyes, coatings and plasticizer-stabilizer. Polyvinyl chloride can be more resistant to degradation by temperature and light when epoxyoleic acid is used in its composition. Epoxydized oils or their esthers can also be important components of phenolic resins for the electronic industry. Despite promising results, the large-scale production of the species is hindered by severe seed shattering universal in wild accessions.