Seed Oil from Mediterranean Aromatic and Medicinal Plants of the Lamiaceae Family as a Source of Bioactive Components with Nutritional

Abstract

The potential use as food ingredients of 12 commercial seed species belonging to the Lamiaceae family constitutes the main goal of this research. For that, the oil yield, the lipid profile, tocopherol content, phenolic profile and antioxidant capacities were determined. Seeds from Satureja hortensis, S. montana, Lavandula angustifolia, L. latifolia and Origanum vulgare can be considered as important sources of ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (50.5; 52.4; 52.1; 48.5 and 45.5 g/100 g, respectively), likewise for seed oils from Salvia lavandulifolia and Rosmarinus officinalis regarding ω-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (52.2 and 50.0 g/100 g, respectively). The total tocopherol concentration varied between 42.8 and 113.8 mg/100 g of oil. The highest antioxidant capacities corresponded to Thymbra capitata and Origanum vulgare seed oils, in which carvacrol was the major phenolic monoterpene quantified. The presence of cinnamoyl-apigenin derivatives and hydroxycoumarin-apigenin-derivatives in spike lavender is described for the first time. Most of these seeds can be considered as an important source of oil rich in bioactive components of interest for human nutrition.

Green Solvent to Substitute Hexane for Bioactive Lipids Extraction from Black Cumin and Basil Seeds

“…Moreover, interesting amounts of luteolin (9 µg/g oil) and ellagic acid (4 µg/g oil) were recorded. In line with our results, thymol has also been cited recently as the key polyphenolic compound in basil seeds oil (11 mg/100g oil) obtained after extraction through a combination of n-hexane and ethyl acetate [ 2 ].…”

“…According to Ramadan et al [ 27 ], α-tocopherol (284 µg/mg) and γ-tocopherols (225 µg/g) were the major components in black cumin seed oil. Regarding O. basilicum , γ-tocopherol was identified as being the one quantified at high concentration in seed oil [ 2 , 26 ]. Moreover, it was reported that γ-tocopherol is a characteristic compound in seed oils of species belonging to the Lamiaceae family [ 31 ].…”

“…Omega-3 fatty acids have anti-inflammatory activity and are associated with the reduction of the risk for chronic diseases [ 1 ]. Moreover, vegetable oils include minor components such as tocopherols, phytosterols, and phenolics that are considered value-added products [ 2 ]. Phenolic compounds are among the health-promoting phytochemicals.…”

Antioxidant, Antihypertensive and Antimicrobial Properties of Phenolic Compounds Obtained from Native Plants by Different Extraction Methods

“…Nowadays, the importance of aromatic and medicinal plants is recognized worldwide, not only for their curative and preventive properties, but also for their uses in the pharmaceutical and food industries [ 1 ]. The Dehesa of Extremadura is characterized as an ecosystem with great biodiversity where many species of plants considered to be medicinal can be found, and are important in the pharmaceutical industry [ 2 , 3 ].…”

Tailored Functionalization of Natural Phenols to Improve Biological Activity

“…In view of their importance, studies were aimed at breeding plants able to increase the content of bioactive phenols [ 23 ]. The research in the field continues, and more and more plants are investigated for their phenolic content and related bioactivity [ 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 ]. The antioxidant activity of natural phenols has been related to their scavenger ability towards free radicals [ 42 ].…”