A comparative study on physicochemical characteristics and antioxidant activity of sumac (Rhus coriaria L.), cumin (Cuminum cyminum), and caraway (Carum carvil) oils

Abstract

Sumac, cumin, and caraway are the most common spices used in the Middle Eastern cuisine, which are also known as herbal medicine. Thus, the present study was conducted to provide comprehensive information and analysis on the oil extracted from spices. The oils of caraway, cumin, and three different varieties of sumac seeds were extracted using hexane, and oil content, fatty acid composition, physicochemical properties, oxidative stability, antioxidant properties, and sterol compositions of oils extracted from spices were analyzed. The oil content ranged from 12 to 16% among different samples. Results obtained regarding the assessment of fatty acids composition showed oleic acid as predominant fatty acid present in different varieties of sumac, while linoleic acid was the dominant fatty acid of cumin and caraway. The α-tocopherol content of spices was equal to 392.06, 103.36 and 89.70 mg kg−1 for oils extracted from different varieties of sumac, caraway, and cumin, respectively. The sumac samples had high γ-tocopherol content (344.27–45.63 mg kg−1) and indicated unique oxidative stability for at least 50 h with no significant differences between the samples (P < 0.05). Favorable high oxidative stability and antioxidant properties of oils extracted from spices could represent their high potential applications in the food industry. Besides, they are suitable to be used in dietary regimens due to their unsaturated fatty acids, sterol compositions, high α, and γ-tocopherol contents, and total phenolic compounds.