In the present study, seed oil content and fatty acid composition of 15 commercially important pomegranate cultivars were determined. The oil content of pomegranate seeds ranged between 13.95 and 24.13% (d.b). Palmitic, stearic, arachidic, and behenic acid contents of the oils ranged between 2.10-2.77, 1.35-2.01, 0.33-0.48, and 0.16-0.22%, respectively. The predominant unsaturated fatty acid was punicic acid (70.42-76.17%) and a minor unsaturated fatty acid was gadoleic acid (0.42-0.75%). The analysis on unsaturated fatty acids particularly showed significant amounts of punicic acid, which is considered to enhance the oil quality and is of importance to health.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.