Phenolic acids of borage (Borago officinalis L.) and evening primrose (Oenothera biennis L.)

The composition of phenolic acids, both free and liberated from esters and glycosides, was determined in evening primrose and borage seeds by GC and MS. The free phenolic acid fraction was predominant in these seeds. Protocatechuic acid was the principal phenolic acid of the free and esterified phenolic acids in evening primrose seeds. Ferulic acid represented a high proportion of the free phenolic acids, but hydroxy-caffeic acid was the major constituent of phenolic acids liberated from esters of borage seeds.