cis-Parinaric acid is a naturally occurring polyunsaturated fatty acid containing an unusual conjugated (Z,E,E,Z) tetraene. This chromophore provides for a natural fluorescence at 432 nm with an excitation wavelength at 320 nm. cis-Parinaric acid occurs naturally in the seeds of the Makita tree, a tropical rainforest tree indigenous to Fiji. Makita seeds are inedible, and this toxicity may be due at least in part to the unstable conjugated fatty acids, including cis-parinaric acid, contained within the seed. cis-Parinaric acid has been used for the measurement of phospholipase activity, lipase activity, and as an indicator of lipid peroxidation.
