Abstract
In the present study we report the fatty acids profile of thirteen species of Artemisia, a hardy herb or shrub, analyzed by gas chromatography connected to a mass detector (GC-MS) for their nutritional value and their potential exploitation as a new source of essential fatty acids. Total lipids content ranged from 3.31 ± 0.19 to 17.78 ± 0.27 mg/g (fresh weight). The three most abundant fatty acids were C16:0, C18:2ω6 and C18:3ω3. Unsaturated fatty acids predominated in all the Artemisia species are studied with the α-linolenic acid (ALA) and linoleic acid (LA), which are essential for normal human growth, health promotion, and disease prevention. The predominant ω3 PUFA acid in all Artemisia species analyzed, was linolenic acid, with Artemisia gmellini, Artemisia ludoviciana and Artemisia vulgaris, showing higher amounts of this fatty acid, all thirteen species, analyzed in this study, were also rich in oleic acid (ω9) and linoleic acid (ω6), accounted for 50–70% of total PUFA. The ratio of ω3 PUFA to ω6 PUFA was similar in all species, varying from 1.0 to 3.0. Identifying Artemisia species as newer sources of PUFAs and enriching or optimizing the ω3FAs in known plant sources offer us ways of increasing the availability of ω3FAs in the food supply.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.