Fatty acids composition and physical properties of stones and kernels from different peach cultivars as biomarker of origin and ripening time

Abstract

The peach stones and kernels are easily available biowaste which could be useful for the extraction of nutritionally important compounds such as fatty acids. Except in industry, characterization of stones and kernels could be useful in pomology to describe different cultivars, and for selecting new parents in a breeding program. A total of 25 samples of stones and kernels from various peach cultivars that differed in origin and ripening time, but growing in the same climatic conditions, were characterized by fatty acids composition and physical properties. This work confirmed that unsaturated fatty acids (oleic and linoleic fatty acids) were the most represented in peach kernel oil and their content depended of peach genotype. Additionally, the fatty acids in combination with length, weight, and moisture of peach kernels could be used as a parameter of authenticity assessment. This research may contribute for the peach cultivar discrimination and recommendation of cultivars/genotypes with high kernel quality which could be used for the extractions of oil rich in unsaturated fatty acids and further use in food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industry. Besides, selected cultivars could be used in breeding programs, for creating new genotypes for oil production.