Abstract
Cynara cardunculus L. is a plant of the Mediterranean basin, known since antiquity as a food and for its therapeutic properties. The needs of the 21st century for the utilization of agricultural waste has led to the study of the seed oil of a Greek cultivar of Cynara cardunculus (GCCC) as potential nutritional oil, as large amounts of cardoon seeds are discarded. The sterol and fatty acid profile of cold-pressed seed oil was examined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry GC-MS and compared with that of solvent extraction. Total phenolic content was determined and compared with well-known and widely appreciated edible vegetable oils; while, additionally, the total lignan content and nutritional value of cold-pressed oil revealed it as a potential dietary candidate. Furthermore, the seedcake (residue of cold-pressed oil extraction) has been studied exerting it as a good source of phenolics. Both GCCC oil and seedcake were tested for their antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory activities exhibiting higher activity compared to the sesame, flaxseed and extra virgin olive oils. According to the results, Cynara seed oil was shown to be a rich source of ω-6/-9 fatty acids and phenolics, highlighting, indicating that it could be a promising health-promoting vegetable oil, while the seedcake was revealed as a rich source of bioactive compounds.
Highlights
The needs of the 21st century for food and energy have led to the finding of new alternative strategies of the utilization of agricultural and food waste by-products [1].Agronomic and food wastes can be proved as potential pools of bioactive metabolites, beneficial for human nutrition and health, such as essential fatty acids, phenolics, dietary nutrients etc. [2,3]
Cardoon seeds are considered a rich source of minerals, macroelements, lignans, sterols, fatty and phenolic acids, and its seed oil is considered a rich source of unsaturated fatty acids [5,8,9,10,11,12,13], of which ω-6 linoleic acid is most abundant, followed by monounsaturated oleic acid (21.11–28.4%) and saturated palmitic and stearic acids (9.37–11.1 and 2.78–3.7%, respectively), indicating that this oil could be suitable for consumption [5,14]
The analysis of the unsaponified fractions of both the solvent extraction (SE) and cold-press extraction (CPE) oils showed that sterols, including β-sitosterol, campesterol, stigmasterol, stigmast-7-en-3-ol and taraxasterol, were detected, which is in accordance with the literature regarding Cynara spp. [30,31]
Summary
The needs of the 21st century for food and energy have led to the finding of new alternative strategies of the utilization of agricultural and food waste by-products [1].Agronomic and food wastes can be proved as potential pools of bioactive metabolites, beneficial for human nutrition and health, such as essential fatty acids, phenolics, dietary nutrients etc. [2,3]. Agronomic and food wastes can be proved as potential pools of bioactive metabolites, beneficial for human nutrition and health, such as essential fatty acids, phenolics, dietary nutrients etc. Cynara cardunculus (Asteraceae) includes artichoke and cardoon, where cardoon includes two varieties, cultivated and wild [5]. It is a perennial plant species originating from the Mediterranean basin and gaining attention as a multipurpose crop [6]. Several studies have focused on the cultivation of C. cardunculus plants for industrial purposes, as a bioenergy crop, due to its low cultivation requirements in terms of water and nutrients, and its high-biomass yield and calorific value [5,8]. Cardoon seeds are considered a rich source of minerals, macroelements, lignans, sterols, fatty and phenolic acids, and its seed oil is considered a rich source of unsaturated fatty acids [5,8,9,10,11,12,13], of which ω-6 linoleic acid is most abundant (ranges between 56.7–64.8%), followed by monounsaturated oleic acid (21.11–28.4%) and saturated palmitic and stearic acids (9.37–11.1 and 2.78–3.7%, respectively), indicating that this oil could be suitable for consumption [5,14]
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