Edible Oils from Selected Unconventional Sources—A Comprehensive Review of Fatty Acid Composition and Phytochemicals Content

Abstract

In recent years, there was an increase in the commercial offer of vegetable oils from unconventional sources, such as fruit, vegetable, and herb seeds. The paper presents a synthesis of available scientific information on 27 oils obtained from the seeds of 14 fruit species (apple, apricot, chokeberry, black berry, blackcurrant, blue berry, cherry, Japanese quince, pear, plum, quince, raspberry, rosehip, and strawberry), 8 vegetable species (broccoli, cabbage, carrot, cucumber, onion, parsley, radish, and tomato), and 5 herb species (basil, coriander, fennel, fenugreek, and perilla). A review of the literature showed that oil content in these seeds ranges from ca. 5% for fenugreek to over 55% for apricot kernels. A recommended n-6/n-3 fatty acid ratio below 4-5/1 was noted in 11 species. Japanese quince, blackcurrant, and fenugreek seed oils seem to be good sources of phytosterols. Radish seed oil was mostly abundant in tocols, Japanese quince seed oil in squalene, and blackcurrant seed oil in carotenoids. Unfortunately, actual data on the composition of these seed oils are highly variable, making it difficult to precisely identify the most nutritionally valuable oils.