Phytosterol Composition in the Oil of Bi-clonal Seed Stocks of Tea (Camellia sinensis L.) in North East India

Abstract

The phytosterols are naturally occurring, physiologically active substances found in foods of plant origin. In present study, the phytosterols profile of four bi-clonal tea seed stock oils viz., TS 462, TS 464, TS 491, and TS 506 released from Tocklai are presented. Phytosterols were evaluated using GC-FID. Among the phytosterols, 24-methylene cycloartan-3-ol was recorded as the most abundant sterol in tea seed oil, accounting for 31% of total phytosterols. Results showed that the majority of the sterol differences were significant (p 0.05). TS 506 has the highest 24- methylene cycloartan-3-ol (476.03.7 mg kg-1) followed by TS 491 (475.97 mg kg-1). β-sitosterol, cycloartenol, canophyllol, lanosterol and campesterol were also present with their contents of 371.03 ± 0.26, 291.38 ± 0.12, 120.44 ± 0.13, 89.12 ± 0.19 and 69.05 ± 0.24 mg kg-1 respectively. The outcomes of the present study provided a foundational understanding of the phytosterols profiles of the four bi-clonal tea seed oils and highlighted their similarities and differences.