A crude, cold-pressed oil from elderberry (Sambucus nigra L.) seeds: Comprehensive approach to properties and characterization using HPLC, DSC, and multispectroscopic methods

• Published in: Food chemistry 2025-02, Vol.464 (Pt 3), p.141758, Article 141758
• Main Authors: Siejak, Przemysław, Neunert, Grażyna, Kamińska, Wiktoria, Dembska, Anna, Polewski, Krzysztof, Siger, Aleksander, Grygier, Anna, Tomaszewska-Gras, Jolanta
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: carotenoids; chemometrics; compressibility; DSC method; elderberries; Excitation-emission matrix; Fatty acid composition; flavonoids; fluorescence; food chemistry; Front-face fluorescence; heat; human nutrition; Langmuir monolayer; oils; oxidative stability; PARAFAC analysis; polyphenols; Sambucus nigra; Sambucus nigra seed oil; Tocopherols; triacylglycerols; ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy
• ISSN: 0308-8146; 1873-7072; 1873-7072
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2024.141758

The physicochemical characterization of fresh, undiluted, cold-pressed oil from elderberry seeds (EO) is presented. The results showed EO's uniqueness for the 93 % presence of essential fatty acids, including linoleic n-6 (41 %), α-linolenic n-3 (38 %), and oleic n-9 (13 %) acids with favorable ratios for human nutrition, n-3/n-6 = 0.93. A γ-tocopherol is the dominant tocopherol (96 %), with a concentration of 20.62 mg/100 g, indicating low oil oxidative stability. DSC heating and cooling traces determined the thermal properties. These results also revealed the presence of metastable triacylglycerol (TAG) structures composed of polyunsaturated fatty acids. The presence of characteristic groups for fatty acids and TAGs in EO was confirmed by FTIR-ATR spectra. For the first time, Langmuir monolayer studies on EO revealed its low compressibility, indicating its low emulsifiability, and the presence of minor components of EO, including tocopherols, phenolic acids, polyphenols, flavonoids, and carotenoids, was determined using UV–Vis absorption and fluorescence excitation-emission matrix (EEM) along with the chemometric method. [Display omitted] •Fresh cold-pressed elderberry seed oil (EO) is rich in unsaturated fatty acids (93 %).•Low oxidative stability of EO and polymorphic behavior revealed by DSC technique.•First time Langmuir monolayer studies characterized EO emulsification properties.•Low content of tocopherols (0.02 %) with dominant gamma-tocopherol (96 %).•Excitation-emission matrix coupled with chemometrics detected bioactive molecules.