Characterization of a Potential Nutraceutical Ingredient: Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) Seed Oil Unsaponifiable Fraction

Abstract

The chemical fingerprinting of the unsaponifiable fraction of different Punica granatum seed oils was performed in order to evaluate their potential as a functional food ingredient. Qualitative and quantitative determinations of tocopherol, aliphatic alcohol (including policosanol), squalene, phytosterols and triterpene contents were performed by GC-MS. A high yield (3.1-4.2%) of unsaponifiable matter was obtained and consistent levels of squalene (up to 800 mg/kg) and policosanol (118-185 mg/kg) were noticed. β-sitosterol (up to 8069 mg/kg) and cycloartenol (5916-7766 mg/kg) were predominant in phytosterol and triterpene fractions, while β- and δ-tocopherol were the most abundant vitamin E forms. Some minor variations were noticed between samples. From the results obtained, it can be suggested that the seed oil of P. granatum can be considered an interesting alimentary source of substances of nutraceutical value involved in the modulation of cholesterol metabolism.

Characterization of constituents, quality and stability of pomegranate seed oil (Punica granatum L.)

“…Fatty acids profile (%) in linseed oil (LD) and pomegranate seed oil (PSD) determined using two methods of esterification (acid/base-catalysed and base-catalysed). in LD, and is consistent with that observed in the literature (Caligiani et al, 2010;Pande & Akoh, 2009). …”

“…However, higher values (~300 mg/100 g) of vitamin E in PSD have been reported; α-tocopherol, found to be in low amounts in the present study, and the γ-tocopherol was the predominant isomer (Elfalleh et al, 2011;Caligiani et al, 2010). Elfalleh et al (2011) noted that tocopherols in seed oil from the Tunisian pomegranate consisted chiefly of α-tocopherol (over 53%).…”

“…The amounts of relevant compounds such as tocopherols in seed oils are often correlated to the relatively abundant levels of unsaturated fatty acids, which represents a further advantage in terms of nutraceutical value (Caligiani et al, 2010). As both linseed oil (LD) and pomegranate seed oil (PSD) are rich in unsaturated fatty acids, their content of tocopherols was analyzed (Table 2).…”

“…Phytosterols belong to a class of health-beneficial compounds especially known for their ability to inhibit cholesterol absorption. Tocopherols act as natural preservatives and their presence in seed oils is often correlated with the relative abundance of unsaturated fatty acids (Caligiani et al, 2010).…”

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“…PSO has been reported to have beneficial effects including cytotoxic and antitumor properties, body fat-reducing and lipid metabolism-normalizing effects, enhancing the immune system in vivo, Showing chemo preventive activity against hormone-related (prostate and breast) and colon cancers, reducing the accumulation of hepatic triglycerides and promoting epidermal tissue regeneration [46][47][48][49][50] . Antioxidant and antiinflammatory activities are the main features of PSO which results from inhibition of lipid peroxidation and neutrophil-activation 37,39,51 .…”