Chemical Composition and Fatty Acid Profile of Khat (Catha edulis) Seed Oil

The proximate, physicochemical, and fatty acid compositions of seed oil extracted from khat (Catha edulis) were determined. The oil, moisture, crude protein, crude fiber, crude carbohydrate, and ash content in seeds were 35.54, 6.63, 24, 1.01, 30.4 %, and 1.32 g/100 g DW respectively. The free fatty acids, peroxide value, saponification value, and iodine value were 2.98 %, 12.65 meq O₂/kg, 190.60 mg KOH/g, and 145 g/100 g oil, respectively. Linolenic acid (C_18:3, 50.80 %) and oleic (C_18:1, 16.96 %) along with palmitic acid (C_16:0, 14.60 %) were the dominant fatty acids. The seed oil of khat can be used in industry for the preparation of liquid soaps and shampoos. Furthermore, high levels of unsaturated fatty acids make it an important source of nutrition especially as an animal product substitute for omega‐3 fatty acids owing to the high content of linolenic acid.     

Characterization and Benzo[a]pyrene Content Analysis of Camellia Seed Oil Extracted by a Novel Subcritical Fluid Extraction

A novel continuous subcritical n‐butane extraction technique for Camellia seed oil was explored. The fatty acid composition, physicochemical properties, and benzo[a]pyrene content of Camellia seed oil extracted using this subcritical technique were analyzed. Orthogonal experiment design (L₉(3⁴)) was adopted to optimize extraction conditions. At a temperature of 45 °C, a pressure of 0.5 MPa, a time of 50 min and a bulk density of 0.7 kg/L, an extraction yield of 99.12 ± 0.20 % was obtained. The major components of Camellia seed oil are oleic acid (73.12 ± 0.40 %), palmitic acid (10.38 ± 0.05 %), and linoleic acid (9.15 ± 0.03 %). Unsaturated fatty acids represent 83.78 ± 0.03 % of the total fatty acids present. Eight physicochemical indexes were assayed, namely, iodine value (83.00 ± 0.21 g I/100 g), saponification value (154.81 ± 2.00 mg KOH/g), freezing‐point (?8.00 ± 0.10 °C), unsaponifiable matter (5.00 ± 0.40 g/kg), smoke point (215.00 ± 1.00 °C), acid value (1.24 ± 0.03 mg KOH/g), refrigeration test (transparent, at 0 °C for 5.5 h), and refractive index (1.46 ± 0.06, at 25 °C). Benzo[a]pyrene was not detected in Camellia seed oil extracted by continuous subcritical n‐butane extraction. In comparison, the benzo[a]pyrene levels of crude Camellia seed oil extracted by hot press extraction and refined Camellia seed oil were measured at 26.55 ± 0.70 and 5.69 ± 0.04 μg/kg respectively.     

Physicochemical Properties,Chemical Composition and Antioxidant Activity of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Dalbergia odorifera</Emphasis> T. Chen Seed Oil

The heartwood or root of Dalbergia odorifera T. Chen is an important traditional medicine in Asia. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the physicochemical properties, chemical composition and antioxidant activity of Dalbergia odorifera T. Chen seed oil. Oil, protein, carbohydrate, moisture, ash and total phenolic contents were found to be 12.96, 26.86, 42.58, 13.70, 3.90 and 5.55%, respectively. Free fatty acids, iodine number, peroxide value, saponification number and unsaponifiable matter were 1.66%, 106.53 g/100 g, 5.07 meq O₂/Kg, 196.78 mg KOH/g and 1.70%, respectively. The oil showed high absorbance in the UV-B and UV-C ranges with potential for use as a broad spectrum UV protectant. The major fatty acids were linoleic acid (60.03%), oleic acid (17.48%) and palmitic acid (16.72%). The total tocopherol, total phenolics and β-carotene were 511.9, 351.1 and 62.2 mg/kg oil, respectively. In addition, the methanol extract of seed oil showed significant in vitro antioxidant activity in four assays including DPPH radical scavenging activity, reducing power, linoleic acid peroxidation inhibition and chelating activity. This study suggests that Dalbergia odorifera T. Chen seed oil has the potential to be used in new products in the functional food, cosmetic or pharmaceutical industries.     

Physicochemical Properties and Fatty Acid Profile of Phoenix Tree Seed and its Oil

Various components of Phoenix tree (Firmiana simplex) seed were determined. Oil, protein, moisture, ash, and fiber accounted for 27.8 ± 0.3, 19.7 ± 0.4, 7.5 ± 0.2, 4.4 ± 0.3, and 31.23 ± 0.93 % (w/w) of the seed, respectively. The acid value, peroxide value, saponification value, and unsaponifiable matter content of Phoenix tree seed oil extracted using the Soxhlet method were 3.73 ± 0.02 mg KOH/g, 1.97 ± 0.21 mmol/kg, 183.74 ± 2.37 mg KOH/g, and 0.90 ± 0.05 g/100 g, respectively. The total tocopherol content was 54.5 ± 0.5 mg/100 g oil, which consisted mainly of δ‐tocopherol (29.5 ± 0.6 mg/100 g oil) and γ‐tocopherol (13.8 ± 0.8 mg/100 g oil). Linoleic acid (L, 30.2 %), oleic acid (O, 22.2 %), and sterculic acid (S, 23.2 %) were the main unsaturated fatty acids of Phoenix tree seed oil. The saturated fatty acids included palmitic acid (17.4 %) and stearic acid (St, 2.9 %). The work shows the first report of sterculic acid in seeds of this species. This oil can be used as a raw material to produce sterculic acid.     

Variation in Seed Oil Content and Fatty Acid Composition of Globe Artichoke Under Different Irrigation Regimes

Seed oil content of globe artichoke and its composition were assessed under three irrigation regimes, including irrigation at 20, 50, and 80 % depletion of soil available water. Water deficit affected the phenological characteristics, amount and the quality of the oil as well as the phenolics and antioxidant activity of the leaves and capitula. The seed oil content ranged from 18.7 % in 80 % to 22.8 % in 20 % treatment. The fatty acid composition of oil was determined using gas chromatography (GC). The predominant fatty acids in the oil were linoleic (51.68 %), oleic (34.22 %), palmitic (9.94 %), and stearic (3.58 %). Water deficit leads to reduced oil content, linoleic acid, the unsaturated/saturated fatty acid ratio and the iodine value. On the other hand, some other fatty acids such as palmitic and oleic acid and also the ratio of oleic/linoleic acid were elevated due to water deficit. Higher antioxidant activity was observed in capitula (IC₅₀ = 222.6 μg ml^?1) in comparison to the leaves (IC₅₀ = 285.8 μg ml^?1). Finally, the severe drought stress condition caused to gain higher oil stability, while the highest seed oil content and unsaturated fatty acids in the oil was obtained in non‐stress condition. Moreover, high phenolics, flavonoids and antioxidant activity as well as appreciable dry matter content were obtained in the moderate water stress condition.     

Composition and physicochemical properties of Combretum collinum,Combretum micranthum,Combretum nigricans,and Combretum niorense seeds and seed oils from Burkina Faso

Combretum collinum, Combretum micranthum, Combretum nigricans, and Combretum niorense are abundant unconventional seed oils of the African savannah. In this study, the proximate, mineral, amino acid, fatty acid, and triacylglycerol compositions of the four seed oils were quantified, and the oxidative and physicochemical properties were investigated. The amino acid, fatty acid, and triacylglycerol compositions were determined by using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and gas chromatography respectively. Carbohydrates (57.35%–64.20%) followed by crude oils (20.07%–22.60%), proteins (11.95%–15.86%), and ashes (3.78%–6.19%) were the main constituents of the four seed species. The highest ash, crude fat, and protein contents were found in C. collinum, C. nigricans, and C. niorense, respectively. All four seed species were rich in Ca, K and Mg, and poor in methionine, cysteine, and lysine. The four seed oils had high saponification values (198.46–202.71 mgKOH/g), low acidity (1.12–2.26 mg of KOH/g of oil), and peroxide values (1.19–1.98 mEqO₂/kg of oil). The seed oils of C. micranthum and C. collinum exhibited the highest thermal oxidative stability (8.10 and 9.79 h at 160°C). Oleic (40.49%–56.69%), palmitic (15.17%–24.27%) and linoleic (9.49%–14.50%) acids were the predominant fatty acids of the four seed oils. The results showed that the four seed species and seed oils had good chemical composition and physicochemical properties making them suitable for food and non-food application.     

Investigation of Oil and Protein Contents of Eight Sudanese Lagenaria siceraria Varieties

The composition of the oil and protein contents of eight Lagenaria siceraria varieties was characterized in order to evaluate their suitability as a source of edible oil and protein. The physicochemical properties and fatty acids of seed oils were determined. The oil yield ranged from 24.11 to 26.32 %. The refractive indices and relative densities of the oils fell within the narrow ranges of 1.464–1.468 and 0.857–0.907 g/cm³, respectively. The saponification value ranged from 158.48 to 179.52 mg KOH/g, unsaponifiable matter was between 0.749 and 0.937 %, and the peroxide values were lower than Codex values for vegetable oils. The principal fatty acids were linoleic (62.1–67.9 %), oleic (11.54–15.46 %), palmitic (12.13–14.03 %), and stearic (6.71–7.71 %) acids. Low linolenic acid levels were also observed (<1 %) within the range of 0.32–0.44 %. The major essential amino acids were arginine (2.04–3.77 g/100 g), leucine (1.245–1.726 g/100 g), phenylalanine (0.803–1.396 g/100 g), and lysine (0.921–1.383 g/100 g). The non‐essential amino acids were glutamic acid (2.5–4.37 g/100 g), aspartic acid (1.39–2.36 g/100 g), serine (0.69–1.19 g/100 g), glycine (0.79–1.37 g/100 g), alanine (0.72–1.37 g/100 g), and proline (0.63–1.02 g/100 g). Nine minerals (Na, Ca, Mg, K, Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn, and P) were determined with significant (p < 0.05) differences. The studied oils showed promising results and can be used in the food, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical industries. This is the first study on the eight L. siceraria seed varieties grown in Sudan, opening the way for further studies on these seeds.     

Composition of Catalpa ovata Seed Oil and Flavonoids in Seed Meal as Well as Their Antioxidant Activities

In view of the growing demand for vegetable oil, currently exploration of some non‐conventional oils is of great concern. This study firstly analyzed the contents of fatty acids, phytosterols, and tocopherols in Catalpa ovata seed oil collected from four different Provinces in China. Then the composition of flavonoids as well as their antioxidant activities in defatted seed meal was determined. The results showed that the relative oil content in C. ovata seeds ranged from 24.0 to 36.0 % and seed oil was mainly composed of fatty acids linoleic acid (43.4–50.1 %), α‐linolenic acid (23.8–24.4 %), and oleic acid (13.1–16.2 %). The content of unsaturated fatty acids was up to 85.0 %. Sterol in seed oil mainly contained campesterol, stigmasterol, and β‐sitosterol. β‐sitosterol accounted for 74.0 % of the total sterol. The tocopherol content was 173.0–225.7 mg/100 g. Defatted seed meal from Hubei Province showed the highest content of total flavonoids (11 mg/g) and the strongest activities for DPPH radicals scavenging, ABTS radicals scavenging, and ferric reducing antioxidant power compared with other defatted seed meal in this study. Seven flavonoids were identified from C. ovata seed meal. These results suggest that C. ovata seeds may be developed as a new source of oil and can also be properly used in pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.     

Soybean Seed Quality Characteristics in Response to Indigenous Bradyrhizobium Inoculation and N Fertilization in Kashmir–Pakistan

The objective of this study was to quantify changes in soybean seed quality characteristics in response to indigenous Bradyrhizobium inoculation and N fertilization applied under field conditions during the years 2009 and 2010. Seven indigenous Bradyrhizobium isolates were isolated from the different locations under the foothills of great Himalayas Rawalakot Kashmir, Pakistan. The field isolates were compared to a reference strain (exotic) TAL102, three N fertilizer rates and to an un‐inoculated control. The seed oil content, fatty acid composition, seed N, P and K concentration and seed N, P and K uptake were quantified. Bradyrhizobium inoculation and N fertilization significantly increased oil content compared to the un‐inoculated control. The seed oil content varied between 16.2 and 21.5 %, highest in the seeds treated with indigenous Bradyrhizobium strains NR₂₂, NR₂₅ and NR₃₅, and mainly composed of linoleic acid (47 %), and oleic acid (24 %). Inoculation and N fertilization both decreased the saturated fatty acids (palmitic and stearic) and increased unsaturated fatty acids (linoleic acid and oleic acid). The mineral nutrient content of N, P, and K and their accumulation in seed increased by 2–3‐fold compared to the corresponding control. Indigenous Bradyrhizobium strains were able to generate the highest values for seed oil content (NR₂₂, NR₂₅, and NR₃₅), unsaturated fatty acids, i.e. linoleic acid and oleic acid (NR₂₅, and NR₃₅) and N, P and K uptake (NR₂₀, and NR₂₂). There were noticeable differences among the treatments in terms of essential fatty acid, oil, and mineral nutrient content. The study demonstrates the potential benefits of using indigenous Bradyrhizobium strains in order to achieve high quality soybean seeds that can be used as a balanced health product.     

Characteristics of Oil from Hulless Barley (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Hordeum vulgare</Emphasis> L.) Bran from Tibet

The bran of hulless barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) from Tibet was investigated. This paper reports on the physicochemical characteristics, lipid classes and fatty acids of the oil from the bran. The petroleum (60–90 °C) extract of hulless barley bran was found to be 8.1%. The investigated physiochemical parameters included density at 40 °C (0.96 g/cm³), refractive index at 40 °C (1.41), melting point (30.12 °C), acid value (11.6 mg KOH/g), peroxide value (19.41 μg/g), saponification value (337.62 mg KOH/g), iodine value (113.51 mg iodine/g) and unsaponifiable matter (4.5% of total lipids).The amount of neutral lipids in the crude oil was the highest (94.55% of total lipids), followed by glycolipids (4.20% of the total lipid) and phospholipids (1.25% of the total lipid). Linoleic acid (75.08% of total fatty acids) followed by palmitic acid (20.58% of total fatty acids), were the two major fatty acids in the oil. The results show that the oil from the hulless barley bran could be a good source of valuable essential fatty acids.     

Effect of Extraction Solvent on Oil and Bioactives Composition of Commercial Indian Niger (Guizotia abyssinica (L.f.) Cass.) Seed

Commercially available niger (Guizotia abyssinica (L.f.) Cass.) seed was investigated to evaluate the effect of extraction solvent on oil and bioactives composition. For this purpose, niger seeds were subjected to solvent extraction using solvents of different polarity, viz., hexane, petroleum ether, chloroform, acetone, methanol and ethanol. The oil content of niger seeds obtained after extraction with solvents of different polarities was in the range of 31.8–41.3 g/100 g. The extracted oil was characterized by the following parameters: color (40.0–95.0 Lovibond units), free fatty acids (3.6–12.3 g/100 g), peroxide value (3.2–7.8 mequiv O₂/kg), iodine value (137.6–140.3 cg I₂/g), saponification value (177.3–185.9 mg KOH/g) and unsaponifiable matter (1.3–4.3 g/100 g). Among fatty acids, linoleic acid (69.4–73.2 %) was the major fatty acid and trilinolein (31.2–33.4 %) was the major triacylglycerol. The composition of bioactive molecules was 171.9–345.8 ppm of total tocopherols; 247.1–2,647.7 ppm of total phenolics; 1,249.6–6,309.3 ppm of total sterols and 18.9–181.0 ppm of total carotenoids. Among the tocopherols, α-tocopherol was the major component with 154–276 ppm. Of the total phenolics, vanillic acid with 176–1,709 ppm was the major phenolic compound in the oil extracted using different solvents. Ethanol-extracted oil showed a 13.9-fold better oxidative stability and a higher radical scavenging activity (IC₅₀ value of 9.2 mg/mL) compared to hexane-extracted oil (IC₅₀ value of 40.3 mg/mL). This is probably the first report of its kind on solvent extractability of bioactives of niger seed.     

Chemical Examination of Iberis odorata Seed Oil

Iberis odorata seeds of cruciferae plant family yield 26.0 percent of fatty oil which has an iodine value 107.5. The oil is investigated for its fatty acid composition by reversed phase partition chromatography. The fatty acids in the seed oil constitute 39.6% erucic, 3.5% eicosenoic and 3.2% docosadienoic acids, in addition to the usual oleic (13.6%), linoleic (25.7%) and linolenic acids (3.1%). Saturated acids (C₁₂) to (C₂₂) amount to 11.3% of the component acids.     

Chemical Composition of Seed Oils Recovered from Different Pear (Pyrus communis L.) Cultivars

Lipophilic bioactive compounds in oils recovered from the seeds of eight pear (Pyrus communis L.) cultivars were studied. Oil yield in pear seeds ranged between 16.3 and 31.5 % (w/w) dw. The main fatty acids were palmitic acid (6.13–8.52 %), oleic acid (27.39–38.17 %) and linoleic acid (50.73–63.78 %), all three representing 96–99 % of the total detected fatty acids. The range of total tocochromanols was between 120.5 and 216.1 mg/100 g of oil. Independent of the cultivar, the γ‐tocopherol was the main tocochromanol and constituted approximately 88 %. The contents of the carotenoids and squalene were between 0.69–2.99 and 25.5–40.8 mg/100 g of oil, respectively. The β‐sitosterol constituted 83.4–87.6 % of total sterols contents, which ranged between 276.4 and 600.1 mg/100 g of oil. Three significant correlations were found between oil yield and total contents of sterols (r = ?0.893), tocochromanols (r = ?0.955) and carotenoids (r = ?0.685) in pear seed oils.     

Virgin hemp seed oil: An interesting niche product

Virgin hemp seed oil is not widespread on the market, although it is characterised by an interesting fatty acid composition with a high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Linoleic acid is the predominant fatty acid, which comes, together with α‐linolenic acid (18:3n‐3), to approximately 80% of the total fatty acids. From a nutritional point of view, up to 7% γ‐linolenic acid (18:3n‐6) and 2.5% stearidonic acid (18:4n‐3) are very interesting. The total amount of tocopherols is high between 80 and 110 mg/100 g, with γ‐tocopherol as the main tocopherol (85%). Due to the high amount of unsaturated fatty acids, hemp seed oil is very susceptible to oxidative deterioration, which results in a fast impairment of the oil during storage. In addition, the high amounts of chlorophyll in the oil due to harvesting of high amounts of immature seeds require light protection, which is often neglected because of merchandising purposes. The virgin oil is characterised by a nutty taste with a slightly bitter aftertaste. The use of virgin hemp seed oil is recommended during mild processing of food without heat.     

Physicochemical Properties of Garden Cress (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Lepidium sativum</Emphasis> L.) Seed Oil

Garden cress (Lepidium sativum L.) is an edible, underutilised herb, grown mainly for its seeds in India. Physicochemical properties, minor components (unsaponifiable matter, tocopherols, carotenoids), fatty acid composition and storage stability of garden cress seed oil (GCO) were studied. Cold press, solvent and supercritical CO₂ extraction methods were employed to extract the oil. The total oil content of garden cress (GC) seeds was 21.54, 18.15 and 12.60% respectively by solvent, supercritical CO₂ and cold press methods. The physical properties of GCO extracted by the above methods were similar in terms of refractive index, specific gravity and viscosity. However, cold pressed oil showed low PV and FFA compared to the oil extracted by other methods. α-Linolenic acid (34%) was the major fatty acid in GCO followed by oleic (22%), linoleic (11.8%), eicosanoic (12%), palmitic (10.1%) erucic (4.4%), arachidic (3.4%) and stearic acids (2.9%). Oleic acid (39.9%) and α-linolenic acid (42.1%) were the predominant fatty acids at the sn-2 position. The total tocopherol and carotenoid content of GCO was 327.42 and 1.0 μmol/100 g oil, respectively. The oil was stable up to 4 months at 4 °C. Tocopherol and BHT offered the least protection, while ascorbyl palmitate (200 ppm) offered the maximum protection to the oil, when subjected to the accelerated oxidative stability test. Thus GCO can be considered as a fairly stable oil with a high content of α-linolenic acid.     

Physiochemical Properties of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Jatropha curcas</Emphasis> Seed Oil from Different Origins and Candidate Plus Plants (CPPs)

The physicochemical properties of Jatropha seed oil from 9 geographical origins and 24 candidate plus plants (CPPs) were evaluated. The yield of seed oil obtained by Soxhlet extraction using n-hexane as solvent varied from 40.0% (Malaysia) to 48.4% (Vietnam) among seeds from different origins and 32.1% (CPP-17) to 48.8% (CPP-01) (w/w) among CPPs. Density, specific gravity, and refractive index of oil showed very little differences among all the seed sources. Oil from Borneo had the highest free fatty acid (FFA) content (2.3%) and a South African sample had the lowest FFA (0.4%), as oleic acids. Seed oil of CPP-13 had the highest FFA content (1.2%) and seed oil of CPP-17 the lowest (0.3%). Most of the CPPs in this study had an FFA content of less than 1%. Jatropha seed oil of Philippine origin had the highest iodine value (187.3 mg/g oil) and seed oil from Borneo the lowest (83.5 mg/g oil). The lowest saponification values were obtained from seed oil of Philippine origin (189.5 mg KOH/g) and CPP-22 (183.3 mg KOH/g oil) from Malaysia. The maximum higher heating value (40.3 MJ/kg) was obtained from seed oil from Borneo. The cetane numbers range from 25.4 (Indonesia) to 56.0 (Borneo) among the oils of base material and 46.4 (CPP-15) to 53.7 (CPP-06) among CPPs. This study gives basic information of relevance for biodiesel production using Jatropha seeds from various origins.     

Extraction and Characterization of Seed Oil from Naturally Grown Chinese Tallow Trees

Seeds were collected from locally and naturally grown Chinese tallow trees (CTT) and characterized for general physical and chemical properties and fatty acid composition of the lipids. The effects of four different solvents (petroleum ether, hexane, diethyl ether, and 95 % ethanol) and two extraction methods (supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO₂) and conventional Soxhlet) on the properties of the CTT seed oil, including Chinese vegetable tallow (CVT) and stillingia oil (SO), were also investigated. In general, the yields of CVT and SO did not vary based on solvent for Soxhlet extraction and solvent-free SC-CO₂ extraction, except that the yield of CVT from SC-CO₂ extraction was substantially lower. Nevertheless, the CTT seed oil, extracted by SC-CO₂ displayed better quality than those extracted by Soxhlet extraction in terms of color, residual precipitation, and acid value of the oils. The pretreatment of CTT seed by 3 % aqueous sodium bicarbonate solution likely promoted the hydrolysis of triglyceride and caused the high acid value in the CVT samples. The iodine value at around 180 indicated that the SO is a highly unsaturated drying oil. Palmitic (76 %) and oleic (23 %) are two dominant fatty acids in CVT while linolenic (43 %), linoleic (31 %), and oleic (13 %) are the dominant fatty acids in SO.     

Thermal stabilisation of PVC with metal soaps of Khaya seed oil

Khaya seed meal was extracted with n-hexane. The oil obtained had an iodine value of 68.0 g I₂/100 g, an acid value of 24.0 mg KOH/100 g, free fatty acid 7.64 wt.-%, and a peroxide value of 26.0 meq/kg. The fatty acid profile of the oil showed that oleic acid (54.34 wt.-%), palmitic acid (19.05 wt.-%) and stearic acid (10.42 wt.-%) were the major fatty acid components of the seed oil. Barium, calcium, cadmium, lead and zinc soaps of the seed oil and of its epoxidised derivative were prepared using the precipitation method and the thermal stability examined by thermogravimetry. The stabilising effect of the metal soaps of Khaya seed oil on the thermal degradation of PVC was assessed at 180°C and 190°C from measurements of rates of dehydrochlorination at 1% degradation and of the time required for degradation to attain 1% dehydrochlorination conversion, and changes in intrinsic viscosity and in the levels of unsaturation of the degraded PVC samples. It was found that the metal soaps of Khaya seed oil were effective in stabilising PVC against non-oxidative and oxidative thermal degradation and that the stabilisation effectiveness was of the order: metal soaps of the epoxidised seed oil > metal soaps of the unepoxidised seed oil > seed oil.     

Fatty Acid Composition, Antioxidant Properties, and Antiproliferative Capacity of Selected Cold-Pressed Seed Flours

Cold-pressed seed flours from pumpkin, parsley, mullein, cardamom, and milk thistle were examined for total oil, fatty acid profile of the oil, total phenolic content (TPC), scavenging activities against peroxyl (ORAC), hydroxyl (HOSC) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) (RDSC) radicals, and antiproliferative capacity against HT-29 human colon cancer cells. The cold-pressed parsley seed flour contained a very high concentration of total oil—17.6 g/100 g flour—with primarily C18:1 fatty acid at 86.2 g/100 g fatty acids. All other flour oils had relatively high levels of saturated fats, ranging from 39.0 to 62.9 g/100 g fatty acids. The tested seed flours demonstrated significant TPC and free radical scavenging activities. Milk thistle seed flour had the highest TPC value of 25.2 mg gallic acid equivalent per g flour (GAE mg/g) followed by that of parsley seed flour at 8.1 GAE mg/g. Milk thistle seed-flour extract also had significantly higher antioxidant activities than all other extracts against all tested radicals. The milk thistle seed-flour extract had an ORAC value of 1131 μmol trolox equivalents (TE) per g flour (TE μmol/g), a HOSC value of 893 TE μmol/g, and an RDSC value of 61 TE μmol/g. Also, ORAC, HOSC, and TPC values were significantly correlated (P < 0.01) under the experimental conditions. The cold-pressed milk thistle seed flour inhibited the proliferation of HT-29 cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner. Results from this study suggest that these cold-pressed seed flours may serve as natural sources of antioxidants and may be used to improve human health.     

Characterisation of Moringa stenopetala seed oil variety “Marigat” from island Kokwa

The oil from Moringa stenopetala seeds variety Marigat from the island Kokwa was extracted using 3 different procedures including cold press (CP), extraction with n‐hexane and extraction with a mixture of chloroform:methanol (1:1) (CM). The yield of oil was 35.7% (CP) to 44.9% (CM). The density, refractive index, colour, smoke point, viscosity, acidity, saponification value, iodine value, fatty acid methyl esters, sterols, tocopherols (by high‐performance liquid chromatography), peroxide value, Eequation/tex2gif-stack-1.gif at 232 nm and the susceptibility to oxidation measured by the Rancimat method were determined. The oil was found to contain high levels of unsaturated fatty acids, especially oleic (up to 76.40%). The dominant saturated acids were behenic (up to 6.01%) and palmitic (up to 6.21%). The oil was also found to contain high levels of β‐sitosterol (up to 52.19%%of total sterols), stigmasterol (up to 16.53% of total sterols) and campesterol (up to 14.26% of total sterols). α‐, β‐ and δ‐tocopherols were detected up to levels of 98.00, 44.50 and 82.41 mg/kg of oil, respectively. The reduction of the induction period (at 120 °C) of M. stenopetala seed oil ranged from 29.4% to 54.7% after degumming. The M. stenopetala seed oil showed high stability to oxidative rancidity. The results of all the above determinations were compared with those of a commercial virgin olive oil and Moringa oleifera seed oil.