Markers of quality and genuineness of commercial extra virgin sacha inchi oils

Abstract

SUMMARY:This work tackles the study of the quality and authenticity of oils labeled and commercialized as extra virgin sacha inchi oil. Major and minor components as triglycerides, fatty acid methyl esters, tocopherols, sterols and hydrocarbons are determined as well as other physicochemical parameters (density, viscosity, acidity and peroxide value). The results showed that some of the commercialized oils do not fulfill the basic requirement established in the regulation such as the content of α-linolenic acid, higher than 44.7 or 55.0% in the cases of P. volubilis and P. huayllabambana, respectively. The calculated stigmasterol/campesterol ratio for genuine sacha inchi oils should be around 4, however not all commercial oils analyzed comply with this requirement. The presence of the flavons sesamin and sesamolin indicates the addition of compounds from sesame oils. Finally, some of the commercial oils showed to contain trans fatty acids although this was not accompanied by the sterene hydrocarbon presence.KEYWORDS: Authenticity; Characterization; Commercial sacha inchi oils; Purity; Quality parameters RESUMEN: Marcadores de la calidad y la genuinidad de aceites de sacha inchi extra virgen comerciales. En este trabajo se aborda el estudio de la calidad y la genuinidad de los aceites etiquetados y comercializados como sacha inchi extra virgen. Se estudian los componentes mayoritarios como los triglicéridos y los ésteres metílicos de ácidos grasos, componentes menores insaponificables (tocoferoles, esteroles e hidrocarburos) así como otros parámetros fisicoquímicos (densidad, viscosidad, acidez, peróxidos y estabilidad). Los resultados mostraron que algunos de los aceites comercializados no cumplían con el requisito básico establecido en la normativa de tener un contenido en α-linolénico superior a 44,7 o 55,0% determinado para P. volubilis o P. huayllabambana respectivamente. La relación estigmasterol/campesterol medida en aceites de sacha inchi genuinos es de alrededor de 4, y no todos los aceites comerciales analizados cumplían con este requisito. La presencia de las flavonas sesamina y sesamolina indica la adición de compuestos procedentes de aceites de sésamo. Por último, algunos de los aceites comerciales estudiados, contenían ácidos grasos trans aunque no se detectó en ellos la presencia de hidrocarburos esteroideos.

Glyceridic and Unsaponifiable Components of Microencapsulated Sacha Inchi (Plukenetia huayllabambana L. and Plukenetia volubilis L.) Edible Oils

“…Tocopherols are ones of the most powerful natural antioxidants used as food additives [43]. Sacha inchi oil is the vegetable oil with one of the highest tocopherol contents, with γand δ-tocopherols being the main or unique species [14,44]. With respect to the regulations on this parameter, the NTP [35] included the value of 1900 mg•kg −1 as the minimum tocopherol content in sacha inchi oils, regardless of the variety.…”

Sacha Inchi Seed (Plukenetia volubilis L.) Oil: Terpenoids

“…On the other hand, this biochemical pathway may be used for triterpene (some triterpenes were found in SISO, namely cycloartenol, 24-methylene cycloartenol and lanosterol isomers) and probably sterols (individual sterols found in SISO, namely β-sitosterol, stigmasterol, campesterol, Δ5-avenasterol, Δ5,24-stigmastadienol, Δ7-stigmastenol, Δ7-avenasterol, etc.) [8,9,51], and brassinosteroids biosynthesis, whereas geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate (GGPP) is utilized for the biosynthesis of photosynthetic pigments such as carotenoids, chlorophylls and diterpenes (phytol) (Figure 1) [9,52,53].…”

“…The sterol content in the Sacha inchi seed oil was reported as 2472 mg/kg. While the sterol contents in commercial oils ranging from 1130 to 3635 mg/kg [8,9].…”

“…For example, in virgin sunflower oil the most preferred attributes were sweet and wood/vegetable resin, the latter possibly due References, for Sacha inchi seed oil: Chirinos et al [54]. For commercial Sacha inchi oil: Chasquibol et al [8]; Ramos-Escudero et al [9]. to the presence of terpenes such as linalool and αand β-pinene.…”

“…According to the NTP [7] indicates that the requirements for the polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) profile is as follows: α-linolenic acid (ω-3, greater than 42%), linoleic acid (ω-6, greater than 32%) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (greater than 80%) of the total lipid fraction. Other main representatives of the unsaponifiable fraction are tocopherols, which are distributed in the oil as follows: α-tocopherol (60-70 mg/kg), β-tocopherol (18-29 mg/kg), γ-tocopherol (1108-1367 mg/kg), δ-tocopherol (641-856 mg/kg), and sterols fraction of commercial oils was 1130-3635 mg/kg, and the main sterols were β-sitosterol, stigmasterol, campesterol and ∆5-avenasterol [8,9]. Other compounds of interest are phenolic compounds (the main classes of phenols found in sacha inchi seed oil (SISO) are phenyl alcohol, isocoumarin, flavonoid, secoiridoid, and lignan) [10], volatile organic compounds (while the classes of VOCs identified in commercial oil were aldehydes, hydrocarbons, alcohols, ketone, furan, and carboxylic acid), and terpenoids [11].…”