Ferritin and Free Radicals Species in Seeds by Electron Paramagnetic Resonance

Abstract

Biodiesel is a relevant source of renewable energy which has received a lot of attention due to the need to create a renewable fuel matrix. An important source of raw material for the biodiesel production is oilseeds. Considering the lack of studies characterizing magnetic species present in seeds, different types of oilseed samples were characterized and compared using X-band Electron Paramagnetic Resonance spectroscopy, at room temperature and 30 K. It was identified the presence of the semiquinone radical in all seed’s samples. Besides the free radical resonance, the presence of ferritin was observed, that is an important Fe complex present in seeds and plants, which, although very studied, still lacks a precise description related with its storage and other processes. This study can potentially assist future research about biodiesel and other products that have seeds as raw material.