Coniferonic acid is a polyunsaturated fatty acid composed of 18 carbon atoms with four double bonds, in positions 5=6, 9=10, 12=13, 15=16; all in cis-configuration.
The acid has been isolated in the leaves of conifers, from which it took its common name. The species with the highest concentration are Larix decidua containing about 44% of the total fatty acids, Abies grandis (âÂÂ38%), Araucaria montana (âÂÂ8.9%), and Abies veitchii (âÂÂ7.8%).
It is also found in the seed oil of Korean pine or Pinus koraiensis (âÂÂ14.6%) and Fokienia hodginsii (âÂÂ2.8%).
Oftentimes, it is found in conifers together with other fatty acids (juniperonic, pinolenic, taxoleic, sciadonic acid) that have a double bond in the position 5, separated by more than one methylene group from the next double bond.
The acid is assumed to be biosynthesized from ñ-linolenic acid by the enzyme ÃÂ5-desaturase. The ratio of the concentration of coniferonic acid to that of ñ-linolenic acid allows the taxonomic differentiation of some plant genera.