Fatty acids from Tunisian and Chinese pomegranate (Punica granatumL.) seeds

Abstract

Pomegranate seed oil is considered a powerful health-benefiting agent due to its anti-oxidative and anticarcinogenic properties. Lipids from 21 pomegranate cultivars (15 Tunisian and 6 Chinese) were extracted and fatty acids were identified. Total lipids (16% on a dry weight basis) are mainly unsaturated (ca. 88%). Qualitatively, the pomegranate fatty acid composition is identical. Quantitatively, the predominant fatty acid was linolenic acid (44.51-86.14%), followed by linoleic acid (3.57-13.92%), oleic acid (3.03-12.88%), palmitic acid (3.13-11.82%), stearic acid (1.68-15.64%), gadoleic acid (0.50-4.91%), lignoceric acid ( < 2.53%), arachidic acid ( < 1.70%) and myristic acid ( < 0.85%). Statistical methods revealed how Chinese and Tunisian pomegranate fatty acid contents may be affected by the sampling location.

Characterization of constituents, quality and stability of pomegranate seed oil (Punica granatum L.)

“…Literature on PSD reports variation in fatty acid composition; for instance, PA levels fall between 37% and 81%. Low levels of other conjugated triene fatty acids in PSD have also been reported, which is consistent with the observations in this study (Elfalleh et al, 2011;Parashar et al, 2010;Kýralan et al, 2009;Pande & Akoh, 2009;Jardini & Mancini-Filho, 2007). The acid-base system, however, catalyzed the conversion of punicic acid into other cis/trans CLnAs in PSD, causing a reduction in punicic acid levels, from 54.9% to 42.3%, and an increase of all other isomers as well as the formation of two unidentified isomers.…”

“…Its structure with two cis double bonds and one trans double bond has been investigated in order to understand its role in physiological processes. According Elfalleh et al (2011), the potent antioxidant, anticarcinogenic and antilipidemic properties of PSD makes it a powerful health-promoting agent.…”

“…However, their in vitro antioxidant activity has been investigated in few studies. Elfalleh et al (2011) advocates that the liposoluble nature of fatty acid conjugates limits the choice of assays for estimating their antioxidant capacity; its assessment has been confined to the DPPH• radical (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) test, which can successfully determine the antioxidant capacity of the isomers of the conjugated linoleic acid (CLAs). The same researchers have suggested that the high scavenging activity of CLAs against DPPH• free radicals may contribute to their biological activity.…”

Pomegranate seed oil reduces intestinal damage in a rat model of necrotizing enterocolitis

“…The FF diet had no detectable PuA or other cis-trans isomers of 9,11,13 C18:3 such as the eleostearic acid isomers (Table 1). In contrast, FF ϩ PSO contained 1.7% and 1.0% PuA and 9,11,13-18:3 isomers; these CLnA proportions are within the range of values reported very recently for several cultivars of pomegranate seeds (21). A conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), rumenic acid (cis-9, trans-11 18:2) was found at 0.2% in both groups.…”

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“…PSO is abundant of phytosterols such as β-sitosterol, campesterol, stigmasterol and tocopherols such as α and γ-tocopherol. 32,36,37 . 41,42 .…”