Oil and protein content,and oil composition of the seeds of some plants of the Canadian prairies

The oil and protein content are reported for the seeds of 19 plant species selected for their possible crop potential for the Canadian prairie region. Data on seed oil composition are reported for the 12 species which contained greater than 15% seed oil.     

Effect of seed maturity on seed oil,fatty acid and crude protein content of eightCuphea species

Thirty-six lots of eightCuphea species grown at nine geographical locations from 1983 to 1985 were analyzed for seed weight, oil percentage, fatty acid and crude protein content. Twenty-two samples were separated into two distinct seed maturity groups and also analyzed. Seed maturity varied widely but had little effect on oil percentage, even though mature seeds were significantly heavier than less mature seeds. Lauric acid content generally increased and capric acid decreased with increasing seed maturity. Crude protein of whole seeds and defatted seed meal increased with increasing seed maturity. The net effect of harvestingCuphea wrightii seeds at full maturity in comparison with that for less mature seeds was to increase seed weight by 12%, decrease capric acid by 3%, increase lauric acid by 2% and increase crude protein of whole seeds and defatted meal by 5% and 4%, respectively. Seed oil content was decreased by a statistically nonsignificant 1%. The effect of seed maturity was comparable for the other four lauric acid- and three capric acid-rich species, even though distinct species differences in all factors were measured. Location and environment contributed to some quantitative and qualitative changes, but these factors are not considered to be major sources of variation. It is concluded that variation in seed maturity does not present a major constraint to commercialization ofCuphea as a new, alternative source of lauric and other medium-chain fatty acids. The ultimate significance of these minor changes will depend upon relative yields, demands and values of the various seed components.     

Seed oils fromCitrus sinensis

Comparative analyses of seed oils from the four most important orange varieties at different stages of maturity have shown remarkably similar fatty acid content by GLC. Percentage distribution of fatty acids, refractive index, and iodine number could probably be used to differentiate or help confirmCitrus species since there is enough variation between species to make a valid comparison. Seed content was noted as being related to fruit maturity, as was moisture content of seeds. The oil content of pineappleorange seeds was found to be variable, correlated to moisture content of seeds, and it reached a maximum when seed moisture had decreased to approximately 49%. Journal Series No. 1662. University of Florida Agricultural Experiment Stations.     

Comparative study of lipids in mature seeds of six Cordia species (family boraginaceae) collected in different regions of Brazil

The oil content, FA, and lipid class composition of the mature seeds of six Cordia species were analyzed. Mature seeds of each species were collected in their natural habitat from 2002 to 2004. The total lipid content varied from 1.9% to 13.2%, there beings significant differences between the results found in different years for each species and between the species analyzed. The contents of FFA varied from 2.0% to 7.9% of total lipids. Neutral lipids (NL) were the largest class, making up between 89.6% and 96.4% of the total lipids; the phospholipids (PL) were the second largest class (3.0% to 8.9% of the toal lipids), and the glycolipids (GL) were the smallest class (0.6 to 3.4%). The presence of GLA was determined in each class of lipids; it is predominant in the NL. Levels of GLA ranged from 1.2% to 6.8% of total seed FA. This is, to our knowledge the first study of lipid composition in seeds of species of Cordia from Brazil.     

Untersuchungen über den Einfluß von Sorte und Standort auf den Tocopherolgehalt verschiedener Pflanzenöle

Investigations on the Influence of Genotype and Location on the Tocopherol Content of the Oil from Different Oil-Crops Eight plant species have been cultivated on climatically differentiated locations as well as in phytotron trials, in order to determine the influence og genotype and environmental conditions on the tocopherol content of the oil. The tocopherol content has been related with the oil content of the seeds ami the part of the main polyenic fatty acid of the plant. Considering the genetic range of variation and the inheritance an increase of tocopherol content through breeding efforts seems likely. Especially oil plants which seeds can directly be consumed or which oil needs not to be refined, seem to be promissing. Concerning the environmental influence, biosynthesis of tocopherol was promoted by increased temperature. The negative correlation to the oil content of the seed could be due to the fact that oil plants of our climatic conditiones yield higher oil contents with low temperature.     

Jojoba—Variability in oil content and composition in a collection of 1156 native plants

Data are presented on the oil content and composition in the seeds of 1156 native jojoba plants harvested individually from inland and coastal areas of California and Arizona in the U.S. and from Sonora and Baja California in Mexico. The mean oil content of these samples was 53.2%; 34.2% of the samples exceeded 53%. The mean single seed weight was 0.56 g. A significant correlation between single seed weight and oil content was found but there was no correlation between oil content of the seed and seed yield per plant. Analysis of the oil for fatty acids and fatty alcohols showed very little variability among samples. This compositional uniformity is a major asset in terms of industrial application of this oil. Half the seeds studied in 144 samples had a mean oil content of 49.5% and mean single seed weight of 0.39 g. Simple correlations between fatty acids and oil content were similar to those reported earlier.     

江苏省耐盐生物质能源植物选育和生物柴油制备研究

江苏省有近67万公顷沿海盐土滩涂资源,发展适应这些土地资源的油料植物对促进江苏省生物质能的产业化具有极大的促进作用.本研究针对江苏省土地资源的特点,自2001年,从江苏盐城种植了近10年的美国耐盐油料植物海滨锦葵6万株自然群体中筛选了40个优良单株,并进行了子代测定.目前已经初步选育出了海滨锦葵优良无性系,含油量从原群体平均的18 %提高到23 %.2005年首次从耐盐油料植物海滨锦葵中成功获得生物柴油实验室样品,并已经得到中石化权威机构检测数据.     

Fatty Acid Composition of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Baccaurea courtallensis</Emphasis> Muell. Arg Seed Oil: an Endemic Species of Western Ghats,India

Baccaurea courtallensis Muell. Arg., a moderately sized evergreen tree of the Euphorbiaceae, is endemic to Western Ghats. Its fruits are edible, sour in taste, and contain 2–4 seeds. The native residents harvest the fruits for their medicinal value and for pickling. The seed weight is 0.28 g or 1.0 kg contains 3,500 seeds with a seed coat. The fruit to seed weight ratio is 34:1. Virtually, no work on the chemistry of the seeds or fruit of the species has been reported. Seeds of the species contain 22.5% oil on a dry kernel weight basis. Analysis of the composition of the oil revealed two major fatty acids palmitic acid (42.59%) and oleic acid (36.15%). Stearic acid content was 16.20% and myristic acid was 4.28% of the oil. Two minor acids present were lauric acid (0.40%) and linoleic acid (0.38%) and also including traces of linolenic acid. Physico-chemical properties of the oil showed an acid value of 1.402, a saponification value of 166.89, a refractive index of 0.4239, a specific gravity of −0.938, and an optical rotation of α at 29 °C + 0.35° (λ = 589 nm).     

黄樟素植物资源的开发利用现状及前景

本文探讨了黄樟素植物资源的种类、分布、各部位器官精油和黄樟素含量 ,及其开发利用现状及前景。据统计 ,精油中含黄樟素的植物共有 62种 ,其中精油含量较高 ( >4 0 % )的有 3 2种。在这 3 2种植物中 ,在根和 (或 )茎精油中主要成分为黄樟素的植物有 2 0种 ;在皮油中的有 4种 ;叶油中的 1 0种 ;果实和种子中的 6种 ;有 4种是草本 ,全草精油主要成分为黄樟素。樟科植物是黄樟素的重要植物资源 ,共有 3 7种樟科植物含有黄樟素 ,有 2 4种樟科植物黄樟素含量较高 ( >4 0 % )。狭叶桂 (C .angustifoliaB .Q .Cheng)、少花桂 (C .paciflorum )、等植物叶、茎、枝、皮和果的精油中 ,岩桂 (C .petrophilumN .Chao)、香樟 (C .camphora)、毛叶树胡椒 (Piperhispidinervium)等的叶精油中黄樟素含量均较高 ,这些植物可作为持续发展生产黄樟素的理想资源。其中从巴西引种的毛叶树胡椒是投产最快、具有较大开发前景的黄樟素新资源。本文旨在为黄樟素植物资源的开发利用及保护提供理论依据。     

Studies on Some Minor Oilseeds

The seeds from three plant species have been analysed for oil and protein contents and fatty acid composition. All the seeds were rich in oil and protein. The oil from Myroxylon balsamum contained four newly identified acids. The sum of oleic and linoleic acids in these oils ranged from 70.7-74.8%.     

Characteristics and composition of melon and grape seed oils and cakes

Watermelon (Citrullus vulgaris) and grape (Vitis vinifera) seeds were investigated for their nutritional quality and oil characteristics. The yields of seeds on an as is basis (edible portion) were 1.6 and 1.8% for grape and melon, respectively. The melonseed on a dry weight basis consisted of 53.6% testa and 46.4% kernel. The crude protein, fat and fiber content were 16.4, 23.1 and 47.7% for melon and 8.2, 14.0 and 38.6% for grape (dry weight basis). Both seeds were found to contain significant levels of Ca, Mg, P and K. The fatty acid profiles showed an unsaturated fatty acid content of 76.1% for melonseed oil and 88.6% for grapeseed oil. The predominant fatty acid in both seeds was linoleic acid. The iodine value, saponification number and acid value were 116, 248 and 0.97 for melonseed oil and 132, 194 and 1.59 for grapeseed oil. The amino acid profiles of both seed cake proteins were determined and compared with hen’s egg protein.     

Effect of sprouting on the quality and composition of canola seed and oil

Sprouting has been considered as a damage factor in grading canola. This project deals with the evaluation of the effect of sprouting on the quality and composition of canola seed and oil. Sprouted seeds had lower oil content than nonsprouted seeds as determined by exhaustive petroleum ether extraction. The difference, although statistically significant, was small, less than 0.1% oil at the maximum level of sprouting allowed in topgrade canola. There were no differences in chlorophyll contents or moisture contents between sound and sprouted seeds. Sprouted seeds had significantly higher levels of FFA and crude protein than sound seeds. Oxidation parameters (diene and aldehyde) were higher in oils from sound seeds than oils from sprouted seeds, but there was no statistically significant difference in PV. Sprouted seeds had higher levels of tocopherols and sucrose, but lower levels of raffinose, stachyose, and total sugars than sound seeds. There was no difference in overall FA composition of the oil between sound and sprouted seeds. The second extraction of the Federation of Oils Seeds and Fat Associations (FOSFA) extraction method, which allowed the extraction of more polar lipids, contained significantly more saturated FA. However, this was not significant in the overall FA composition of the oils because this fraction counted for about 2% of the total lipid content. The presence of sprouted seed had an effect on results for oil and crude protein determined by NIR as compared with results by FOSFA extraction, or pulsed NMR for oil and Dumas combustion for crude protein. Addition of sprouted seed samples to the NIR, calibration set overcame this problem. These results suggested that sprouting did not have a highly damaging effect on the quality and composition of canola seed and oil when less than 10% of the seeds in a sample were sprouting.     

Composition and Characteristics of Cleome icosandra L. Seed Oil

Cleome icosandra grows wild in abundance all over India. The seeds contain 26% of oil. The iodine value of the fresh and the stored oils was found to be 125–126 and saponification value as 205. The oil contains only a small amount of saturated acids (21–22%), viz. myristic (1–1.2%), palmitic (13–14%) and stearic [6–7%] and high amounts of unsaturated acids, viz. oleic (12–14%), linoleic (65–66%). Due to the high linoleic content the oil polymerises during storage. The degree of polymerisation is higher with the oil extracted from stored seeds which was kept over a period of three months than the oil obtained from fresh seeds under identical conditions. The short crop period, ease of collection of seeds from forest areas and the desirable tendency of polymerisation suggest the exploitation of this oil for industrial use.     

Extraction of Oil from Roman Nettle Seed by Cold Press and Evaluation of its Quality during Storage

Roman nettle (Urtica pilulifera L.) is an annual plant whose seeds are rich in oil and valuable phytochemicals. In this study, oil from Roman nettle seeds is extracted by cold pressing and its quality is evaluated during storage at room temperature for up to 90 days. The seed moisture content is adjusted to 0%, 2.5%, 5%, 7.5%, and 10% (g 100 g⁻¹) to evaluate its effect on oil extraction yield. The highest oil yield (31.5%) is found in the seeds containing 5% moisture. Acid and peroxide values increase with both moisture content increase and during storage. Moreover, an increase in seed moisture content decreases the oxidative stability (from 8.1 to 6.3 h), carotenoids (from 25 to 14 mg kg⁻¹), chlorophylls (from 742 to 486 mg kg⁻¹), and phenolic contents (from 134 to 97 (mg caffeic acid per kg oil)) of the extracted oils. Fatty acid profile and phytosterols are not significantly influenced (p > 0.05) by the moisture content of the seeds and storage. Total phenol contents and γ-tocopherol levels increase during storage, but carotenoids, chlorophylls, and α-tocopherol levels decrease. Based on overall composition and quality parameters, Roman nettle seed oil may have potential food applications.     

Gurum Seeds: A Potential Source of Edible Oil

Cucurbitaceae family seeds are mostly discarded as agro-industrial wastes. Gurum (Citrullus lanatus var. colocynthoide) is an underutilized wild cucurbit plant, closely related to desert watermelon, which is grown abundantly in some African countries. Gurum seeds can play a significant role in health and nutrition due to their high oil content. This review describes the nutritional composition of gurum seeds and their oil profile. Gurum seeds are a good source of oil (27–35.5%), fiber (26–31%), crude protein (15–18%), and carbohydrates (14–17%). Gurum seeds oil is extracted by supercritical CO₂ (SFE), screw press, and solvent extraction techniques. The gurum seeds oil is composed of unsaturated fatty acids with a high proportion of linoleic acid (C18:2) and oleic acid (C18:1). Gurum seeds oil contains various bioactive compounds, such as tocopherols, phytosterols, and polyphenols. It is reported that solvent extraction gives a higher yield than the screw press and SFE, but the SFE is preferred due to safety issues. More studies are required for producing better quality gurum seeds oil by using novel extraction techniques that can increase oil yield.     

Nuclear magnetic resonance for determining oil content of seeds

Twelve seed oils containing a variety of functional groups were examined with a commercial broad-band nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometer. Instrument response (integrator readout) was directly related to hydrogen content of the oil (r=0.999), regardless of the structures present. NMR techniques were applied to the determination of oil in intact, partially dried seeds from 18 plant species containing 1.5–53% oil having a variety of structures. The correlation between integrator readout (calculated to a uniform 25-g sample weight) and oil content (determined by extraction with petroleum ether) is excellent (r=0.993). If the readout is further modified by a correction for the variation in hydrogen content of the oils, the correlation becomes 0.996.     

Phytosterols and steryl esters in diverse Cucurbita,Cucumis and Citrullus seed oils

Δ⁷‐Phytosterols present in pumpkin seed oil are significant for the prevention of prostate disorders. Herbal medicines are increasingly offered as dried kernels or concentrated ethanolic extracts of Cucurbita pepo seeds. Until now, the pumpkin seeds of C. pepo have almost exclusively been used for this purpose. Only a few data concerning the sterol content of other Cucurbitoideae seeds are available. Therefore, we isolated, identified, and quantified the free and esterified phytosterols of 12 Cucurbita, 3 Cucumis, and 3 Citrullus seed oils. The total sterol content of these seeds ranged from 297 mg per 100 g oil in Cucurbita maxima ‘Turk's Turban’ to 814 mg per 100 g oil in Citrullus lanatus ‘Sugar Baby Watermelon’, equivalent to 64 to 193 mg per 100 g seeds respectively. These were mainly Δ⁷‐sterols (˜82%) with the steryl esters acounting for ˜32% of the total sterol content.     

Rapid and nondestructive determination of seed oil by pulsed nuclear magnetic resonance technique

The pulsed NMR technique for rapid and nondestructive determination of oil in oilseeds has been developed. The effects of spin-lattice relaxation time, spin-spin relaxation time, seed moisture, angular position of the seeds, sample tube thickness, and sample height upon the magnitude and reproducibility of the NMR signal were studied. Based upon these studies, various parameters for seed oil analysis have been fixed. The oil content of Brassica, peanut, and sunflower seeds was determined. The reproducibility of the measurement is ± 1 %. The technique was tested by measuring the oil content of the same seeds by the cold percolation method (CCl₄ extraction). It was further tested by determining the oil content of 60 Brassica seed samples independently at three laboratories. The results of these tests are given.     

能源植物的开发与利用进展

生物质能是一种重要的再生能源。本文介绍了世界各国近年来能源植物开发利用情况,概要地论述了我国可作为能源植物的树种、种子含油量及主要成分。     

Production of free fatty acids in safflower seeds by fungi

In 1975, free fatty acids (FFA) reached 0.50% in hand-sampled seeds (achenes) from the Sacramento Valley but never exceeded 0.10% in samples from the San Joaquin Valley. High levels of FFA in safflower seeds from the Sacramento Valley were attributed to seed-borne fungi, especiallyAlternaria sp., having a lipolytic action on safflower oil. Greenhouse inoculations on representative safflower cultivars reduced yields and oil content while increasing FFA. In vitro experiments using safflower oil-potato dextrose agar medium showed that theAlternaria species and four other fungi isolated from safflower had lipolytic activity. TheAlternaria sp. produced 3.90% FFA after 20 days of growth on this medium. Separation of the FFA by thin layer chromatography and characterization by gas liquid chromatography indicated that fatty acids are released by all five fungi in proportions similar to those in safflower oil. Presented in part at the AOCS Meeting, New York, May 1977.