Tocopherols, Tocotrienols and Carotenoids in Kernel Oils Recovered from 15 Apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) Genotypes

Abstract

AbstractWe studied the content of tocopherols, tocotrienols and carotenoids in oil extracted from the kernels of 15 apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) genotypes and the associated oil yield of the studied samples. The oil yield in apricot kernels was in a wide range of 27.2–61.4% (w/w) dry weight basis. For each class of studied compounds (tocochromanols and carotenoids), a three‐fold difference was found between the lowest and the highest content (78.8–258.5 and 0.15–0.53 mg/100 g of oil, respectively). γ‐Tocopherol accounted for 91–94% of total tocochromanols detected in all tested samples. Lutein, zeaxanthin, β‐cryptoxanthin and β‐carotene were the main compounds among the eight different carotenoids detected in apricot kernel oils; they comprised 76–94% of the total carotenoids content, and compositions were characteristic for specific genotypes. The oil yield and content of lipophilic antioxidants in apricot kernel oils were significantly affected by the genotype. The oil yield was negatively correlated with the total amount of tocochromanols (r = −0.910) and carotenoids (r = −0.704) in apricot kernel oils.