Fatty acid composition and antioxidant capacity of pomegranate seed oil

Pomegranate (Punica granatum) is a perennial herb with its long history and has been the symbol of health, fertility and spirituality. In addition to being consumed as fresh fruit, pomegranate is consumed as pomegranate juice, syrup, pomegranate syrup and many different product groups. In particular, pomegranate seeds, which are often produced as waste, are evaluated separately in terms of their fatty acid composition and antioxidant capacity. In this study, the fatty acid composition of pomegranate seed oils was determined by gas chromatography/mass spectrophotometry (GC/MS). Total antioxidant activity analysis was performed using DPPH (2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) method and antioxidant activity value was determined as trolox equivalent (TE). In the study, it was determined that the antioxidant capacity was 171.44 mg TE / 100g. According to GC / MS analysis, it was determined that the most dominant fatty acid was punicic Acid (68.12%). Oleic acid (8.51%), linoleic acid (6.71%) and palmitic acid (5.55%) are the highest fatty acids after punicic acid. It is clear that apart from the widespread consumption of pomegranate fruit, which is very beneficial for health, its seeds can also be used.

Download Full-text

Oil Content, Fatty Acid Composition, Physicochemical Properties, and Antioxidant Activity of Seed Oils of Ten Moroccan Pomegranate Cultivars

Journal of Food Quality ◽

10.1155/2021/6617863 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2021 ◽

pp. 1-13

Author(s):

Sarah Loukhmas ◽

Ebrahim Kerak ◽

Sara Elgadi ◽

Fatima Ettalibi ◽

Abderraouf El Antari ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Fatty Acids ◽

Antioxidant Activity ◽

Fatty Acid Composition ◽

Fatty Acid ◽

Acid Composition ◽

Seed Oils ◽

Punicic Acid ◽

Yellow Colour ◽

Pomegranate Seeds ◽

Functional Components

Pomegranate seeds (Punica granatum L.) are quantitatively and qualitatively a relevant agri-food by-product which is rich in molecules beneficial to human health. In order to valorize this resource, this study aims to evaluate and to compare, for the first time, the characteristics of fruit seeds and seed oils of ten pomegranate cultivars grown in the Center of Morocco. Physical and biometric parameters of seeds, fatty acid composition, physicochemical criteria, and antioxidant activity of seed oils were determined. The results showed significant differences between the ten studied cultivars. The seeds yielded oil contents ranging from 17.59% to 24.69% and presented high contents of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) exceeding 89%. The major fatty acid was punicic acid, which represented more than 80% of fatty acids, while other fatty acids such as linoleic acid, oleic acid, and palmitic acid could be considered a minority. Oils showed yellow colour due to the contents of chlorophyll (0.12–1.87 mg/kg) and pheophytin (0.39–3.87 mg/kg) and presented high antioxidant activity (IC50: 0.69–1.80 mg/mL). Therefore, the studied pomegranate seeds had a very good oil yield, and these oils have presented an optimal fatty acid composition and high levels of antioxidant activity. Thus, they could be useful in the formulation of novel foods or used as preservatives and functional components in food industry.

Download Full-text