Fatty Acids, Tocopherols, Phenolics and the Antimicrobial Effect of Sclerocarya birrea Kernels with Different Harvesting Dates

Abstract

Oil extracted from the kernel of Sclerocarya birrea with different harvesting dates was studied in terms of the oil content, fatty acids, tocopherols, phenolic compounds and antimicrobial activity. A quantitative increase in the oil content was observed to reach 63.0% at the end of the last harvesting date. The percentage of total fatty acids had altered and palmitic acid content was found to be 16.8% at the first date of harvesting and dropping for the rest of the dates to reach 14.6% by the end of the harvesting process. In the same manner, stearic acid was found to be 15.2% at the first date and this dropped dramatically to reach 8.8% by the end of the harvesting, while oleic and linoleic acids increased from 58.9 and 4.3% to 67.3 and 5.9%, respectively. Alpha and gamma tocopherols decreased rapidly, whereas the d-tocopherol and d-tocotrienol were 4.8 and 4.9 mg/100 g, respectively at the beginning and had disappeared completely by the last harvesting date. Total phenolic and flavonoid content increased continuously through the different harvesting dates. Sclerocarya birrea kernel oil was effective in inhibiting the growth of three out of four bacterial strains tested. This inhibitory effect was less than that of the control.

Comparative Health-Related Fatty Acid Profiles, Atherogenicity and Desaturase Indices of Marula Seed Cake Products from South Africa and Eswatini

“…Evidently due to appreciable amounts of palmitic and stearic acids, the oil in MSC products from both countries had cumulatively large amounts of ƩSFA (South Africa: 18.4% and Eswatini: 18.6%). These findings corroborate previous studies in South Africa [30, 51 -53], Eswatini [20], Botswana [54], Namibia [55], Niger [38], Ethiopia [56], Sudan [57] and Zimbabwe [58], which found a preponderance of oleic acid (60 -88%) followed by palmitic and stearic acids in marula kernel oil. Also, the oil from both South Africa and Eswatini MSC products was found to contain smaller amounts (< 1%) of, respectively, arachidic (0.47% vs. 0.47%), α-linolenic acid (0.3% vs. 6 PUFA (6.8% and 8.9%, respectively) and Ʃn-3 PUFA (0.3% and 0.3%, respectively) ( Table 2).…”

Chemical composition of Ocimum basilicum L. essential oil and its efficacy as a preservative against fungal and aflatoxin contamination of dry fruits

“…The antioxidants (polyphenols, tocopherols and fatty acids) present in nuts, spices and plant EO play an important role against the microbial growth and proliferation (Puupponen‐Pimia et al. , 2001; Mariod et al. , 2010; Prakash et al.…”

“…In addition, O. basilicum has been used as an ethnomedicinal plant in the cure of different human diseases in the traditional Indian system of medicine (Prajapati et al, 2003). The antioxidants (polyphenols, tocopherols and fatty acids) present in nuts, spices and plant EO play an important role against the microbial growth and proliferation (Puupponen-Pimia et al, 2001;Mariod et al, 2010;Prakash et al, 2011). Hence, an ideal preservative should have antimicrobial as well as antioxidant activity.…”

Effects of Blue-Light-Induced Free Radical Formation from Catechin Hydrate on the Inactivation of Acinetobacter baumannii, Including a Carbapenem-Resistant Strain

“…Phenolic compounds are the products of the secondary metabolism in plants and are important antioxidants in plants and plant-based foods [ 1 ]. Polyphenols contain aromatic rings, with each ring attached to one or more hydroxyl groups.…”