Variation in the Composition and Quality of Nigella sativa L. Seed Oils—The Underestimated Impact on Possible Health-Promoting Properties
Authors
Grzegorz Dąbrowski
Chair of Plant Food Chemistry and Processing, Faculty of Food Sciences, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Pl. Cieszyński 1, 10-726 Olsztyn, Poland; [email protected] (S.C.); [email protected] (I.K.)
Sylwester Czaplicki
Chair of Plant Food Chemistry and Processing, Faculty of Food Sciences, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Pl. Cieszyński 1, 10-726 Olsztyn, Poland; [email protected] (S.C.); [email protected] (I.K.)
Iwona Konopka
Chair of Plant Food Chemistry and Processing, Faculty of Food Sciences, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Pl. Cieszyński 1, 10-726 Olsztyn, Poland; [email protected] (S.C.); [email protected] (I.K.)
Keywords:
Nigella sativa L., black cumin, volatile compounds, thymoquinone, tocols, quality indices
Abstract
Nigella sativa L. (black cumin) is one of the most investigated medicinal plants in recent years. Volatile compounds like thymoquinone and unsaponifiable lipid compounds are crucial functional components of this oil. Unfortunately, the composition of oils and their quality indicators are ambiguous both in terms of identified compounds and value ranges. Thirteen oils were extracted with hexane from black cumin seeds grown in India, Syria, Egypt, and Poland and analyzed for their fatty acid composition, unsaponifiable compound content and volatile compounds. Oils were also subjected to quality tests according to standard methods. The fatty acid composition and sterol content/composition were relatively stable among the tested oils. Tocol content varied in the range of 140–631 mg/kg, and among them, β-tocotrienol and γ-tocopherol prevailed. Oils’ volatile compounds were dominated by seven terpenes (p-cymene, α-thujene, α-pinene, β-pinene, thymoquinone, γ-terpinene, and sabinene). The highest contents of these volatiles were determined in samples from Poland and in two of six samples from India. High acid and peroxide values were typical features of N. sativa L. oils. To sum up, future research on the medicinal properties of black cumin oil should always be combined with the analysis of its chemical composition.
Keywords: Nigella sativa L., black cumin, volatile compounds, thymoquinone, tocols, quality indices
Author Biographies
Grzegorz Dąbrowski, Chair of Plant Food Chemistry and Processing, Faculty of Food Sciences, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Pl. Cieszyński 1, 10-726 Olsztyn, Poland; [email protected] (S.C.); [email protected] (I.K.)
Conceptualization, Methodology, Formal analysis, Investigation, Data curation, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing, Visualization
Sylwester Czaplicki, Chair of Plant Food Chemistry and Processing, Faculty of Food Sciences, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Pl. Cieszyński 1, 10-726 Olsztyn, Poland; [email protected] (S.C.); [email protected] (I.K.)
Conceptualization, Methodology, Validation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Data curation, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing, Visualization
Iwona Konopka, Chair of Plant Food Chemistry and Processing, Faculty of Food Sciences, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Pl. Cieszyński 1, 10-726 Olsztyn, Poland; [email protected] (S.C.); [email protected] (I.K.)
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