Abstract
Seeds of soybean, peanut, and sesame were exposed to various doses of gamma irradiation (0.0, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 5.0 and 7.5 kGy). Fatty acid and unsaponifiable profiles of the extracted oils were separated by gas chromatography mass spectroscopy. The results demonstrated that the ratios of unsaturated to saturated total fatty acids (TU/TS) and total hydrocarbons to sterols (TH/TSt) were significantly altered upon irradiation. These changes were clearly observed in the oil extracted from irradiated sesame seeds compared with the oils from irradiated peanuts and soybean. The major change in fatty acid composition was the decrease in the quantity of unsaturated fatty acids (C18:1 and C18:2) in all cases. In contrast, the sterol fractions such as cholesterol, campesterol, stigmasterol and β-sitosterol levels of irradiated seeds were generally lower than that of the un-irradiated seeds.
Highlights
Soybean oil is commonly called “vegetable oil” and considered the world’s largest oilseed crop, with about 13 million tons of oil produced each year (Patterson, 1989)
Soybean oil is characterized by relatively large amounts of the polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), i.e., ~55% linoleic acid and ~8% α-linolenic acid with few oleic acids of the total fatty acids (Messina, 1997)
The data show that the non-irradiated soybean contained C16:0, C18:1, C18:2 and C18:3 which comprised more than 86% of total fatty acids and reduced to about 83% in irradiated samples
Summary
Soybean oil is commonly called “vegetable oil” and considered the world’s largest oilseed crop, with about 13 million tons of oil produced each year (Patterson, 1989). Peanut oil contents in 17 cultivars ranged from 45.7 to 51.8% (Nelson et al, 2000) It is a pale yellow, non-drying oil containing large quantities of arachidonic, oleic, linoleic, palmitic and stearic acids. Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) is a very ancient oilseed crop and one of the earliest domesticated oil crops in the world. Irradiation processing is mainly employed to extend the shelf-life and secure the quality of foods by decreasing the microbial load which causes the spoilage of food. It is an appropriate approach for the disinfection of cereals, spices, dried fruits and nuts (El-Beltagi 2001, Cetinkaya et al, 2006). The importance of the irradiation process is due to its efficiency for the destruction of undesired microorganisms and extension of shelf-life, and for its effects
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