The correlation between nutritional and health potential and antioxidant properties of raw edible oils from cultivated and wild plants

Abstract

SummaryThe nutritional properties and health potential of oils from 15 various cultivated and wild plants were investigated on the basis of the fatty acids profiles, total carotenoids and tocopherols content, antioxidant properties and health potential indexes such as atherogenicity index (AI). The oil contents of the plants varied between 0.9 g/100 g for lychee seeds and 29.7 g/100 g for borage seeds. The tocopherol content in oils ranged from 0.31 (lingonberry fruits) to 226.23 mg/100 g (hawthorn pulp), carotenoids ranged from 0.36 (borage seeds) to 14.22 mg/100 g (blackcurrant seeds). In four oils (raspberry seed, strawberry seed, lingonberry fruits, blackcurrant seeds) the PUFA contents contributed over 70% of the total fatty acids (FA), which was associated with the best values health potential indexes. It was found that TAC (Total Antioxidant Capacity) can be an indirect measure of the levels of carotenoids and tocopherols in oils. Additionally, a positive correlation between the level of carotenoids and the FA n‐3 was demonstrated. Determining such relationships may facilitate research into new sources of valuable edible oils useful for the production of functional foods, dietary supplements and cosmetics.