The distribution of FA between the sn-2 and sn-1,3 positions of TAG from Pistacia atlantica fruit oil of Algeria has been determined. Unsaturated FA showed a preference for the internal position. Linoleic and oleic acids occurred predominantly in the sn-2 position with lesser amounts evenly distributed between the sn-1 and sn-3 positions, as generally found in vegetable oils. The oil was found to contain TAG that were trisaturated (0.93%), disaturated (15.06%), monosaturated (44.64%), and triunsaturated (38.10%). The distribution of the TAG calculated using the lipase hydrolysis technique is slightly different from that determined with HPLC. This is particularly true for trioleoyl and trilinoleoylglycerols. In contrast, the agreement between theory and experiment is good for TAG containing two palmitoyl and one oleoyl, one oleoyl and two linoleoyl, and one palmitoyl and two oleoyl chains.Paper no. J10979 in JAOCS 82, 93-96 (February 2005).No investigation of the TAG components of Pistacia atlantica fruit oil has been reported. The aim of this study is to elucidate the distribution of FA attached to the glycerol molecule and determine the amount of TAG in the oil of P. atlantica. This study is an extension of previous work by the authors to evaluate the fruits of the P. atlantica tree as a potential source of vegetable oil, with special emphasis on their FA and sterols (1).The main FA of many species of pistachio are oleic, linoleic, and palmitic. β-Sitosterol is the main sterol of P. and P. vera fruit oils (1-4).The FA composition can indicate the stability levels and the nutritional quality of oils, but not their functional properties. Therefore, the type and amount of the various TAG species present in the oil are determinants of the physical and functional properties of the oil.
EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURESPistacia atlantica fruits were obtained from the Tadjrouna region of the Laghouat department in southern Algeria. Boron trifluoride (12.5% in methanol) and pancreatic lipase were purchased from Sigma-Aldrich (St. Louis, MO). Hexane, diethyl ether, acetic acid, hydrochloric acid, calcium chloride, acetone, and acetonitrile were purchased from Fisher Scientific (Fairlawn, NJ).Fat extraction. The seeds were milled into powder through a 0.5-mm sieve using a hammer mill (IKA-Werke MF 10, Selangor, Malaysia) and extracted with hexane by agitation at room temperature for 24 h. The hexane was removed by rotary evaporation in a water bath at 40°C.Preparation of TAG. To separate the TAG fraction, 1 g of the oil was filtered through a column made with 20 g of silica gel. TAG were eluted with 150 mL of benzene.GC analysis. FAME were prepared by the AOCS Official Method Ce 2-66 (5). A Delsi gas chromatograph, equipped with an FID and a Mega 10 column (25 m × 0.25 mm i.d., 0.25 µm film thickness; Mega, Legnano, Italy) was used to analyze the FAME. The GC conditions were as follows: initial oven temperature (150°C), heating rate (2°C/min), final temperature (200°C), injection port temperature (250°C), detector port temperature ...