Physicochemical Properties and Fatty Acid Profile of Phoenix Tree Seed and its Oil

• Published in: Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society 2016-08, Vol.93 (8), p.1111-1114
• Main Authors: Sun, Shangde, Li, Xulei
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agriculture; Biomaterials; Biotechnology; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Fatty acid profile; Fatty acids; Food Science; Industrial Chemistry/Chemical Engineering; Lipids; Oils & fats; Original Paper; Phoenix tree seed oil; Physicochemical properties; Seeds; Sterculic acid; Tocopherol
• ISSN: 0003-021X; 1558-9331
• DOI: 10.1007/s11746-016-2861-2

Various components of Phoenix tree ( Firmiana simplex ) seed were determined. Oil, protein, moisture, ash, and fiber accounted for 27.8 ± 0.3, 19.7 ± 0.4, 7.5 ± 0.2, 4.4 ± 0.3, and 31.23 ± 0.93 % (w/w) of the seed, respectively. The acid value, peroxide value, saponification value, and unsaponifiable matter content of Phoenix tree seed oil extracted using the Soxhlet method were 3.73 ± 0.02 mg KOH/g, 1.97 ± 0.21 mmol/kg, 183.74 ± 2.37 mg KOH/g, and 0.90 ± 0.05 g/100 g, respectively. The total tocopherol content was 54.5 ± 0.5 mg/100 g oil, which consisted mainly of δ-tocopherol (29.5 ± 0.6 mg/100 g oil) and γ-tocopherol (13.8 ± 0.8 mg/100 g oil). Linoleic acid (L, 30.2 %), oleic acid (O, 22.2 %), and sterculic acid (S, 23.2 %) were the main unsaturated fatty acids of Phoenix tree seed oil. The saturated fatty acids included palmitic acid (17.4 %) and stearic acid (St, 2.9 %). The work shows the first report of sterculic acid in seeds of this species. This oil can be used as a raw material to produce sterculic acid.