Abstract
Safflower seeds provide an oil rich in mono and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Its adaptation to drought and high temperatures makes it an alternative for the development of oleaginous crops in semi-arid areas. This study examines the oil content and the chemical composition of seed oil from three safflower accessions (Gila, Halab, Touggourt) cultivated over three years (2015, 2016 and 2017) in a semi-arid area in Tiaret (West of Algeria). Under these semi-arid conditions, characterized by low rainfall and high temperatures, seed oil content remained relatively high and was composed mainly of unsaturated fatty acids, with their ratio to saturated fatty acids reaching an average value of 9. Seed oil content varies between 22.8% and 28.4% among the genotypes and throughout the three years. The extracted oil consists essentially of unsaturated fatty acids, linoleic and oleic acids, poly and monounsaturated, respectively. Their contents over the three years vary between 75% and 79.3% for linoleic acid and between 10.2% and 14.7% for oleic acid. The saturated fatty acids content of the oil reached a maximum value of 9%. They consist mainly of palmitic acid, of which the average genotypic content varies between 6.6% and 7.15% depending on all grown years. The results obtained may assist in better understanding the response of cultivars under rainfed conditions and could be helpful for breeders with regards to introduction into selection programs.
Highlights
Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) is an asteracea, considered one of the oldest domesticated crops [1]
Benefits of using safflower oil in food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic applications have been demonstrated by several studies [8,9,10,11]
Our results showed that the safflower seeds produce an appreciable oil content under semi-arid area conditions
Summary
Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) is an asteracea, considered one of the oldest domesticated crops [1]. It originates from the Asian Fertile Crescent [2,3]. Its importance is mainly justified by its richness in unsaturated fatty acids, in particular oleic and linoleic acids [12]. Linoleic acid represents a major unsaturated fatty acid in safflower oil, reaching a level of up to 88%. Oleic acid is characterized by a high single point of unsaturation which represents an attractive characteristic for industry due to the large range of potential chemical products. Oleic-rich safflower oil can be used in the production of varnishes, alcohols, paints, lubricants, cosmetics, detergents, and biobased plastics [14]. Safflower oil is distinguished by its richness in polyphenols, phytosterols, and tocopherols [12,15,16]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
