Onopordum acanthium (Linnaeus, 1753) seeds from Southern Bulgaria: A promising natural source of lipid-soluble bioactive components

The current study aimed to evaluate the chemical and lipid composition of seeds of Onopordum acanthium grown in South Bulgaria. The seeds were characterised with a high amount of carbohydrates (56.76%), and similar contents of proteins (16.05%) and glyceride oil (16.45%). The share of dietary fiber was very high, at 38.4%, and that of the ash content was 3.42%. The chemical composition of the seeds determined their good energy value, which was 439 kcal/100 g. The glyceride oil was rich in lipid-soluble bioactive components – unsaponifiable matter (2.70%), sterols (0.69%), tocopherols (172.50 mg/kg), and phospholipids (0.36%), as well as in various essential fatty acids, linoleic acid being the predominant one (69.3%). The other fatty acids found in high amounts were oleic (21.4%) and palmitic (5.3%) acids. The main sterols identified in the seed oil were β-sitosterol (62.2%), followed by stigmasterol (21.7%) and campesterol (8.6%). Two tocopherols were detected in the fraction: γ-tocopherol (74.7%) and αtocopherol (25.3%), while the predominant phospholipids were phosphatidylinositol (33.7%), phosphatidylcholine (13.1%), phosphatidylserine (12.9%), and phosphatidylethanolamine (11.9%). Important lipid indices were also calculated for O. acanthium seed oil – index of atherogenicity (0.0625), index of thrombogenicity (0.1735), hypocholesterolaemic/hypercholesterolaemic (HH) ratio (16.83), peroxidability index (70.64), and oxidation stability index (0.78). These characterristics depicted the health benefits and oxidative stability of the examined glyceride oil, determining its potential implementation in functional foods, nutraceuticals, and therapeutic formulations.

Keywords

Onopordum acanthium, chemical composition, glyceride oil, lipid-soluble biologically active components

URI

https://doi.uni-plovdiv.bg/handle/store/837

Collections

Ecologia Balkanica

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