Lipid composition and DPPH activities of the seed oil of five Turkish hazelnut genotypes (Corylus colurna L.)

Abstract

Five genotypes of Turkish hazelnuts (Corylus colurna L.) were analyzed for chemical composition, including total oil content, fatty acid and sterol composition. The oil yields from these kernels varied from 36.5% to 60.8% and the main fatty acids were oleic acid (79.34-83.0%) and linoleic acid (7.52-10.81%). The polyunsaturated/saturated fatty acid ratio was low, ranging from 0.87 to 1.25. Total phytosterol content ranged from 4.52 to 6.50 mg g -1 of oil. Among the eleven sterols identified and quantified, β-sitosterol was the major one with a mean percentage of 65.09% while fucosterol and campesterol were the second and the third components of the group with mean values of 10.91% and 4.36%, respectively. The radical scavenging activity was evaluated using 2.2-diphenyl-1 picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay.