Abstract
In the present study, the antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities, as well as the fatty acids composition in vegetable seed oils from linseed, purslane, luffa, and pumpkin were evaluated. For this purpose, two linseed oils and one luffa oil were commercially obtained, while purslane and pumpkin oils were obtained from own cultivated seeds. The results showed a variable fatty acids composition among the tested oils, with α-linolenic, linoleic, oleic, palmitic, and stearic acid being the most abundant compounds. In regards to particular oils, linseed oils were a rich source of α-linolenic acid, luffa and pumpkin oil were abundant in linoleic acid, while purslane oil presented a balanced composition with an almost similar amount of both fatty acids. Luffa oil was the most effective against two of the tested cancer cell lines, namely HeLa (cervical carcinoma) and NCI-H460 (non-small cell lung cancer), while it also showed moderate toxicity against non-tumor cells (PLP2 cell line). Regarding the antibacterial activity, linseed oil 3 and pumpkin oil showed the highest activity against most of the tested bacteria (especially against Enterobacter cloacae and Escherichia coli) with MIC and MBC values similar to the used positive controls (E211 and E224). All the tested oils showed significant antifungal activities, especially luffa and pumpkin oil, and for most of the tested fungi they were more effective than the positive controls, as for example in the case of Aspergillus versicolor, A. niger, and Penicillium verrucosum var. cyclopium. In conclusion, the results of our study showed promising antimicrobial and cytotoxic properties for the studied seed oils which could be partly attributed to their fatty acids composition, especially the long-chain ones with 12–18 carbons.
Highlights
The food industry is looking for novel natural compounds to be used as non-synthetic antimicrobial agents in the whole food chain, aiming to fulfill consumers demands for healthy and chemical-free food products [1]
All the oils contained almost the same fatty acids, except for the case of pentadecanoic acid (C15:0) which was detected only in purslane seed oils, docosadienoic acid (C22:2) which was identified in linseed and luffa oils, and lignoceric acid (C24:0) which was found only in pumpkin oil
Polyunsaturated fatty acids were the most abundant class in all the studied oils (55.92–85.51%), followed by monounsaturated and saturated fatty acids (MUFA and SFA, respectively) in amounts that differed depending on the studied oil
Summary
The food industry is looking for novel natural compounds to be used as non-synthetic antimicrobial agents in the whole food chain, aiming to fulfill consumers demands for healthy and chemical-free food products [1]. The concept of bio-preservation through the use of plant derived antimicrobial agents is of major importance for food safety and food security, while providing additional functional properties to food products at the same time [2] For this reason, the research interest has focused on various plant species considering obtaining novel compounds from the by-products of food processing industries [3]. Vegetable oils are considered a basic ingredient in many dietary patterns, such as the Mediterranean diet, and provide essential nutrients and valuable bioactive compounds with beneficial health effects [7] They are considered rich sources in sterols, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), polyphenols, and carotenoids, there could be significant differences in oil composition depending on the extraction method e.g., cold or thermal pressing, use of solvents, supercritical extraction, etc. The most common oils around the world are obtained from palm, soybean, rapeseed, and sunflower, being used for culinary purposes in raw form or after processing for the production of hydrogenated oil with further uses in the food industry, as well as in industrial applications in cosmeceuticals, paint industry, or biofuel production [9]
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