Chemical composition ofacacia seeds

The seeds of 12 species ofAcacia, although rich in C-18 unsaturated acids (47.9–93.5%), have low oil content (2.5–10.2%). Highest concentration of octadecatrienoic acid was inA. lenticularis (80.3%),A. suma (76.8%) andA. tortilis (71.7%) oils.A. mollissima was rich in octadecadienoic (69.1%) andA. senegal in octadecenoic (42.5%) acids. All the seed oils showed the presence of epoxy 18:1 acid, 0.6–3.8%. The protein content of the processed seed meals ranged from 13.4–37.2%, the highest being inA. senegal. Fiber content varied from 8.8–11.9%.     

Chemical composition of acacia seeds

Several plants of Acacieae (family Leguminosae) have been recommended under aforestation programs. The seeds of some such plants have been examined for their fatty acid composition with special reference to epoxy acids. Epoxy 18:1 in Acacia auriculiformis, A. catechu, A. coriacea and A. mellifera was 4.9, 0.1, 2.1, and 0.6%,respectively.     

Chemical composition and characteristics ofMoringa peregrina seeds and seeds oil

TheMoringa peregrina kernel contains 1.8% moisture, 54.3% oil, 22.1% protein, 3.6% fiber, 15.3% carbohydrate and 2.5% ash. The composition and characteristics of the extracted oil were determined. Gas liquid chromatography of methyl esters of the fatty acids shows the presence of 14.7% saturated fatty acids and 84.7% unsaturated fatty acids. The fatty acid composition is as follows: palmitic 9.3%, palmitoleic 2.4%, stearic 3.5%, oleic 78.0%, linoleic 0.6%, linolenic 1.6%, arachidic 1.8% and behenic 2.6%.     

Chemical composition of tobacco seeds (Nicotiana tabacum L.)

Chemical characterization of tobacco seeds is supposed to be an interesting tool in order to extend the knowledge on alternative products of this crop which is of great economic interest. This paper describes chemical composition of meals, fat, ash, protein, fiber and nitrogen-free-extract; furthermore, particular emphasis is given to the composition of lipid fraction, with a complete characterization of triglycerides, fatty acids, and unsaponifiable matter. Trilinolein and palmitodilinolein are the main triglycerides, while linoleic is the main fatty acid. Cholesterol, as in otherSolanaceae, is present in the sterol fraction. Cycloartenol is the main component of the triterpenic alcohols fraction. Amino acids and glucides composition is also reported.     

Chemical investigation of the seeds of brassica oleracea var. acephala

Fatty acid composition of the seed fat ofBrassica oleracea Var.acephala (Cruciferae) has been determined. Erucic acid has been found to be the major component followed by linoleic, oleic, linolenic, arachidic and palmitic acids. Traces of stearic and eico-senoic acids have also been detected. The unsaponifiable matter contained β-sitosterol, and defatted seeds showed the presence of sucrose.     

Chemical changes in the lipids of canola and flax seeds during storage

The changes in acid value (AV), peroxide value (PV), anisidine value (AnV), tocopherols and fatty acid composition in crushed flax, canola seeds or commercial poultry feed during a 60-day storage period in room temperature (RT) or cold room (CR) were examined. Storage at RT or CR increased AV, PV and AnV of flax and canola seeds. Regardless of storage condition, a 50% reduction in the content of tocopherols was observed in flax, canola and commercial feed samples at day-30 of storage. The changes in the content of polyunsaturated fatty acids were negligible during storage. These results may have implication in the storage and handling of animal feeds containing n-3-polyunsaturated fatty acid-rich oil seeds.     

Chemical evaluation of egyptian citrus seeds as potential sources of vegetable oils

Seeds of the citrus fruits orange, mandarin, lime and grapefruit were analyzed. Petroleum ether-extracted oils of such seeds amounted to more than 40% of each. Physical and chemical properties of the extracted oils are presented. Samples of the extracted oils were saponified and the unsaponifiables and fatty acid fractions isolated. The isolated unsaponifiables and fatty acids were analyzed by GLC. GLC analysis of the unsaponifiables revealed compositional patterns differ-ent in number, type and relative concentration of fractions according to type of citrus seed oil, depending on the solvent system used for oil extraction and unsaponifiable matter isolation. The compositional patterns of the unsaponifiables were similar to that of cottonseed oil. Mandarin and grapefruit oils are free of cholesterol. The data demonstrate that the fatty acid compositional patterns of the oils differ; Mandarin seed oil contains the largest number of fatty acids, and grapefruit seed oil contains the lowest. The total amounts of volatile fatty acids in these oils are generally higher than those of other edible oils. Lime seed oil is similar, in the degree of unsaturation, to soybean oil. The orange oil pattern is similar to cottonseed oil. The amount of total essential fatty acids in lime seed oil is the highest of the oils studied.     

Chemical characteristics of oils from naked and husk seeds of Cucurbita pepo L.

Pumpkin seed oils from naked and husk pumpkin seeds, produced by an industrial process and by laboratory extraction, were evaluated for fatty acid composition, tocopherol, sterol and squalene content. The major fatty acids in the oils from both varieties were oleic, linoleic and palmitic acid, followed by stearic acid. The ratios of monounsaturated to polyunsaturated fatty acids for husk and naked seed oils were about 0.60 and 0.75, respectively. Analysis of tocopherols in industrially pressed and laboratory‐extracted oils showed that husk seed oils had higher amounts of total tocopherols than naked seed oils. Oils extracted in the laboratory had higher amounts of tocopherols than industrial oils. Pumpkin seed oil, in general, had a high level of squalene, which was higher in husk seed oils than in naked seed oils and in extracted than in pressed oils. The total amount of sterols was higher in husk than in naked seed oils and in extracted oil samples. The main sterols were Δ7‐sterols and their content was similar in all samples, but the content of Δ5‐sterols was higher in oil samples of husk pumpkin seed and in extracted than in pressed oils.     

Chemical and microscopic studies of the matrix substance in pigment glands of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) seeds

Cottonseeds contain gossypol, a toxic substance, that renders the otherwise nutritious seeds inedible. However, because the gossypol is concentrated in small, intercellular glands, it is possible to separate gossypol from other seed constituents by pulverizing the seeds and removing the glands. This procedure is practicable because gossypol remains with the glands even during seed pulverization and manipulation in hexane. Many believe that the gossypol remains within the glands because the glands are virtually indestructible, protected by tough, resilient “plates.” However, we show that most of the isolated glands are broken after comminution. The gossypol is held in a water-soluble matrix within the lumen of the glands. Analysis of aqueous extracts of isolated glands showed that the bulk of the extract is a non-dialyzable arabinogalactan. We suggest that the matrix substance is an arabinogalactan. Deceased.     

Vegetable resources with agroindustrial potential from Guatemala. Chemical characterization of the pulp and of the seeds of Theobroma bicolor

T. bicolor grows wild in certain regions of Guatemala. The fruit is utilized by the rural population for the preparation of drinks from the pulp and the seed, replacing cocoa (T. cocoa). The fruit of T. bicolor used in the present study, measured on the average, 15 cm long and had an average weight, of 752 g. The pulp, the shell, and the seed represented 23.8, 62.5, and 13.7%, respectively, of the fruit weight. The pulp contained on the average, 38 seeds/fruit, which weighted on the average, 1.11 g and were 2.4 cm long. T. cacao seeds weighted 0.62 g and were 1.6 cm long. The protein content (24.42%) and fiber content (30.86%) of the T. bicolor seeds, was greater than those from T. cacao, although fat content was lower (25.48%). The fat of the seeds of T. bicolor has different physicochemical characteristics than the fat of the seeds of T. cacao, such as melting point, iodine value, and saponification number. The seeds of both, T. cacao and T. bicolor, were used for the preparation of a local drink using toasted corn flour, sugar, and anatto flour in equal preparations, with and without toasted whole soybean flours (6.25%). Through a sensory ranking trial, it is established that the drink from T. bicolor and soybeans, was preferred over other preparations with T. cacao. The pulp of T. bicolor with an interesting chemical composition, yielded an aromatic pleasant drink, and from T. bicolor, is an interesting resource for industrialization and for genetic characteristics for T. cacao improvement.     

A study on fatty acids in seeds of Euterpe oleracea Mart seeds

Fatty acids of Euterpe oleracea Mart seeds were analyzed in hexane and diethyl ether extracts. The hexane extract contained dodecanoic acid (3), tetradecanoic acid (4), hexadecanoic acid (7), and 9-octadecenoic acid (10). The diethyl ether extract contained (10). The oil of Mart seeds was obtained firstly by methanol extract and further extracted with diethyl ether. The hexane and diethyl ether extracts were then analyzed for antioxidant effects. Both extracts demonstrated a 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical elimination effect similar to that of α-tocopherol and an active oxygen inhibition effect. Significant quantities (0.6212 mg/mL) of polyphenol, in comparison to the standard rejected gallic acid, were found in the extract oil of Mart seeds by the methanol extraction.     

Studies on leguminous seeds

The seeds of 8 plant species of Mimosaceae were studied for their fat and protein contents and fatty acid and mineral compositions. The oil fromEntada phaseoloides contained 14 newly identified acids in addition to 8 previously reported. Six seed oils were rich in oleic and linoleic acid as the sum of 18:1 and 18:2 ranged from 64.4–78.5%.     

Nitrogen analysis of whole seeds

Whole seeds were digested in sulfuric acid with catalyst in conical beakers on a hot plate and the digest was analyzed for nitrogen. The nitrogen analysis of the digest can be performed by distillation-titration or colorimetrically, using manual or automatic procedures, linear regression analyses of 8 samples of 16 soybeans each gave values that agreed within 2% of those obtained by the standard Kjeldahl procedure. Precision of the method is 1.8 relative standard deviation compared with 1.4 relative standard deviation for the standard method. The whole seed procedure gives results that are independent of seed size and has been applied to samples of both oilseeds and cereal grains.     

Lipid composition ofHerrania andTheobroma seeds

The seeds of nineHerrania and nineTheobroma species were surveyed for fatty acid, sterol, tocopherol and tocotrienol compositions. Principal component and cluster analyses suggested that these analytes could be used collectively as chemotaxonomic criteria to differentiate theHerrania species from theTheobroma species, as well as to provide subgroup distinctions within each genus for comparison to the existing classification schemes.     

Epoxy oils from plant seeds

Epoxy acids have been reported in seed oils from more than 60 species in 12 plant families. The discovery of 9,10-epoxyoctadec-12-ynoic and 9,10-epoxy-trans-3,cis-12-octadecadienoic acids brings to six the number of natural epoxy acids now known to occur in seed oils. These latest epoxy acids and 15,16-epoxy-cis-9,cis-12-octadecadienoic acid have been found in only one species each and at levels lower than 5% of the oil. Coronaric (9,10-epoxy-cis-12-octadecenoic) acid and 9,10-epoxystearic acid have been encountered in several seed oils, the first as much as 15% of the oil and the latter in only small amounts. Vernolic (12,13-epoxy-cis-9-octadecenoic) acid, which has been identified in numerous oils, is the only epoxy acid known to occur in seed oils at levels above 15%, and it may constitute as much as 75%. On the basis of data available to date,Vernonia anthelmintica appears to have the best potential for commercial production of an epoxy oil. Although one improved line has been selected, continued improvement is needed. Formation of epoxy acids in oilseeds during storage after harvest has been demonstrated, and may be partly responsible for the small amounts of epoxide detected in oils from a wide variety of seeds. Presented at the AOCS Meeting, New Orleans, April 1970. No. Utiliz. Res. Dev. Div., ARS, USDA.     

Studies on leguminous seeds II

The seeds from 11 plant species belonging to Caesalpiniaceae have been analyzed for fat, protein, fatty acid and mineral compositions. All the seed fats resembled the simple linoleic-oleic-palmitic type.