Fatty acid composition of fruit pulp oil and seeds of sea buckthorn selection

Abstract

Sea buckthorn fruits (Hippophae rhamnoides L.) are valuable raw materials for the food and pharmaceutical industries due to the significant amount of oil in the fruit pulp and seeds, characterized by a unique combination of components. The primary substance of the oil is a complex of fatty acids, the composition of which has been well-studied for most genotypes. Still, studies have not been carried out in the group of sea buckthorn varieties of Altai selection. This study aimed to compare the fatty acid composition of the pulp of fruits and seeds of sea buckthorn selection by the Research Institute of Horticulture of Siberia, named after M.A. Lisavenko. The object of the study was the fruits of 13 sea buckthorn varieties belonging to the subspecies Hippophae rhamnoides ssp. mongolica, collected in 2014–2015. in the phase of full ripeness at the experimental sites of the Research Institute of Horticulture of Siberia, named after M.A. Lisavenko, is located in the forest-steppe of the Altai Territory. Determination of fatty acid composition was carried out in fruit pulp and sea buckthorn seeds using gas chromatography. Six fatty acids were identified in the fruit pulp of sea buckthorn, differing significantly in percentage. The predominant ones are palmitic (C16:0) and palmitoleic acids (C16:1), which account for more than 80% of all fatty acids. The most minor amounts are stearic (C18:0) and linolenic (C18:3) acids (2.32%). Sea buckthorn seed oil is dominated by unsaturated fatty acids (more than 90%): oleic (C18:1), linoleic (C18:2) and linolenic acid, and cis-vaccenic acid (C18:1-n7) are present. The largest share on average for varieties is linoleic acid (40.93%). The content of palmitoleic acid in the seed oil was 0.29%, palmitic acid – 6.95%, and stearic acid – 2.04% of the total acids.