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16The present study was conducted to determine the major bioactive lipid components of 17 the seed oils of nine pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) cultivars grown in Spain, 18 namely fatty acids, vitamin E and sterol compositions. The seeds yielded oil contents 19 ranging from 4.44-13.70% of dry matter and showed high contents of polyunsaturated 20 fatty acids (86.7.2-90.3%). The predominant fatty acid was 9,11,13-octadeca-trienoic 21 acid (punicic acid), a conjugated linolenic acid characteristic from pomegranate seeds, 22Fernandes et al. 2with contents between 3523 and 10586 mg/100 g of seeds. Total tocopherol contents 23 ranged from 135-525 mg/100 g of oil, with -tocopherol as the main component, and 24 with different compositional ratios between varieties. Concerning sterols in the oil, total 25 amounts ranged from 364-553 mg/100g, with a predominance of β-sitosterol. After 26 performing principal component analysis, intercultivar differences were found, a 27 potential tool for cultivar authenticity purposes. Moreover, the ingestion of pomegranate 28 arils, with their seeds, increases their beneficial health properties. 29

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The fatty acid composition of the seed oils of six pomegranate (Punica granatum L) cultivars was qualitatively and quantitatively determined by gas chromatography. The seeds contained oil in the range 51-152 mg kg-' dry matter. Intervarietal differences in fatty acid composition were demonstrated (fatty acid esters as % (w/w) total fatty acid esters. Sour varieties had the highest while sour-sweet varieties had the lowest oil content. Eleven fatty acids were identified. In all varieties, the predominant fatty acids were linoleic (25-2-38.6%) and oleic acid (24.8-35.5%) followed by palmitic (1 8.2-22.6%), stearic (6.9-10.4%) and linolenic acid (0.6-9.9%). To a lesser extent arachidic (1.1-3.4%) and palmitoleic acid (0.2-2.7%) were also found in all varieties. Lauric. myristic, behenic and lignoceric acids were rarely detected. As far as we know linolenic (18:3), arachidic (20:0), behenic (22:O) or lignoceric (24 : 0) acids have not been previously reported in the seed oils of edible pomegranate varieties. Lignoceric acid has not previously been found in pomegranate seed oil.