Nutritional Importance of Monounsaturated and Polyunsaturated Fatty acids of Perilla Oil

Abstract

The perilla oil has wide range of therapeutic and culinary applications. Perilla frutescens seeds contain saturated (SFAs), unsaturated (USFAs) like monounsaturated (MUFAs) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). The Perilla seeds are small and weight about 4g/1000 seeds. These seeds contained approximately 35-45% oil. It also contains the ω-3 fatty acid (54-64%) i.e. α-linolenic acid (ALA), ω-6 (≈14%) i.e. Linoleic acid (LA) and ω-9 (small amount) i.e. Oleic acid (OA). It also contains SFAs at 6.7-7.6%. In comparing to other plant oils, Perilla oil contains one of the highest proportions of ω-3 fatty acids. Perilla oil has most beneficial to human health and in prevention and control of various diseases such as cancer, inflammation, rheumatoid arthritis, coronary heart disease (CHD), specifically for its ability to reduce blood pressure and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and other health benefits.

Decomposition Dynamics of Perilla Leaves in a Hill Farming System

“…Out of many, 38 medicinal plants have been enlisted for cultivation in the state [54]. Though Perilla is not in that list, it is an important medicinal and aromatic plant known for its therapeutic attributes [9,20,39]. This present study was carried out in three different altitudes, where Perilla is cultivated as a cover crop/nurse crop along with vegetable crops like bean, potato, ginger and chili.…”