Abstract
Humans are in–separately linked to the existence of vegetables, as they are the source of several bio–products essential for the survival of the animal kingdom. The importance of vegetables from the point of view of the food industry is determined by their complex chemical content that is important to the human body and this includes organic substances (lipids, proteins, carbohydrates and organic acids). This study examines comparatively the levels of lipid compositions in the samples of dried carrot (Daucus carota L) and cucumber (Cucumis sativus L). The fatty acid, phospholipid and sterol compositions were determined from the samples using Gas Chromatography method. The most concentrated fatty acid (%) was linoleic acid (C18:2) (54.04 and 57.62) and the least was arachidic acid (C20:0) (0.01 and 0.01) for Daucus carota and Cucumis sativus, respectively. The result showed the quality parameters of fatty acids investigated in the Daucus carota and Cucumis sativus samples as: SFA (23.36 and 20.15 %); MUFA (15.27 and 15.5 %); PUFA (60.37 and 64.58 %); DUFA (54.04 and 57.62 %); TUFA (75.64 and 79.83 %); MUFA/SFA (0.63 and 0.76 %); PUFA/SFA (2.87 and 3.47 %); O/L (0.23 and 0.23 %). The total phospholipid contents present in the Daucus carota and Cucumis sativus were 546.11 and 594.51 mg/100 g while that of phytosterols were 366.16 and 376.69 mg/100 g, respectively. Phosphatidycholine has the highest content in both samples (265.80 and 283.64 mg/100 g). The concentrations of phytosterols were very low except in sitosterol (198.71 and 200.53 mg/100 g), stig–masterol (118.42 and 120.39) and campesterol (34.48 and 34.44 mg/100 g) for the Daucus carota and Cucumis sativus samples, respectively. This study revealed that Daucus carota and Cucumis sativus have high values of UFA that make them a special kind of vegetables for nutritional and health applications, and may be a good source of phytosterols.
Highlights
The vegetables are plant–based foods with different uses and are significant sources of nutrients
The most predominant monounsaturated fatty acid was oleic acid (C18:1) with values of 12.59 and 13.03 for Daucus carota and Cucumis sativus samples, respectively. These values are comparable to the oleic acid (12.40 and 14.80) reported in Artocarpus altilis and Buchholzia coriacea, respectively but lower than the values reported for African locust bean (32.24%) [16], mesquite bean (30.95%) [16], Artocarpus altilis and Buchholzia coriacea (56.78 and 35.72%) [13], pulp and seed of Persea Americana (39.84 and 35.76%) [17]
The research has focused on the analysis of fatty acid, phospholipid and sterol’s compositions of oils extracted from carrot (Daucus carota L.) and cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.)
Summary
The vegetables are plant–based foods with different uses and are significant sources of nutrients. The intake of nutrients from vegetables depends on the consumed organ of the plant. Tubers are rich in starch but have few vitamins; roots and stems are high in fiber (cellulose and hemicellulose) but do not contain vitamin C; leafy vegetables are very rich in vitamin C, Mg, chlorophyll and carotenoids; flowers, which are rarely consumed as such (e.g cauliflower) are high in vitamin K and B-complex vitamins [1]. The amount of vitamins in a vegetable depends on its type, ripening stage, the soil it grows in, and mode of conservation. Vitamins and minerals have a significant presence in most green vegetables. Large amounts of ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) are found in leafy greens and some vegetables (tomatoes and peppers), tubers (asparagus and potato), and bulbs (onions).
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