Natural variability in acyl moieties of sugar esters produced by certain tobacco and other Solanaceae species

Twenty different acyl groups were identified and quantified in 45 accessions, species, and cultivars. Three unusual acids were found in a few Nicotiana species: octanoate, 8-methyl nonanoate, and decanoate. (A) General sucrose ester structure for tobacco cultivars, Nicotiana obtusifolia, Nicotiana alata, and Nicotiana noctiflora. Three acyl groups are esterified to carbons 2, 3 and 4 of the glucose moiety. R can be any acyl group with three to eight carbons in length. R1 can be H or acetyl group. (B) The structures of straight, iso- and anteiso-branched carbon chains.