Abstract
The objective of this study was to determine the chemical composition of five different food seeds (sunflower, poppy, hemp, flax and sesame) regarding fatty acid, mineral (Fe, Cu, Zn, Na, Mg, K, Ca, Al) and protein content. In addition, the total antioxidant capacity of the seeds was evaluated using the photochemiluminescent assay. The food seeds were subjected to lipid extraction and converted into fatty acid methyl esters before the gas chromatography analysis. In all food seeds, the saturated (SFAs), monounsaturated (MUFAs) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) were identified, respectively. PUFAs were the most abundant fatty acids (61.2% ± 0.07% and 84.8% ± 0.08% of total fatty acids), with the highest content in flax and hemp seed oil. Also, high amounts of omega-3 from PUFAs were determined in flax and hempseed oil. Based on the obtained results the sunflower, sesame and poppy seeds are good sources of omega-6, while flax and hemp seeds are good sources of omega-3. All samples are rich in minerals (Na, K, Ca, Mg) and have more than 20% protein content.
Highlights
The importance of functional foods, nutraceuticals, food supplements and other natural diet compounds has been associated with health promotion and disease prevention
Lipids consist of Fatty acids (FAs) classified, according to the presence or absence of double bonds, in: saturated fatty acids (SFAs—without double bonds), monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs—with one double bond) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs—with two or up to six double bonds)
The SFAs are harmful for human health and their excessive consumption leads to cardiovascular diseases, obesity, hypertension and colon cancer [6]
Summary
The importance of functional foods, nutraceuticals, food supplements and other natural diet compounds has been associated with health promotion and disease prevention. Carbohydrates, proteins, minerals and vitamins present in all foods are essential nutrients, compounds that cannot be synthetized by the human body in adequate quantities and must be supplied by the diet [3,4]. The major sources of lipids are vegetable oil and different foodstuffs of animal origin [5]. Unlike these, unsaturated FAs have beneficial effects on human health, such as cholesterol reduction and cardiovascular disease prevention (MUFAs) [7], the reduction of insulin levels in diabetes, and the stabilization of protein and mineral deficiency in the human body (PUFAs with more than two double bonds) [4].
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