Profiling of the lipophilic components of seed oils recovered from twelve Japanese quince (Chaenomeles japonica) genotypes

The seeds and oil yield and profile/levels of fatty acids, tocopherols and phytosterols in seed oils of twelve Japanese quince (Chaenomeles japonica) genotypes were studied. The seeds and oil yield ranged from 3.8 to 5.7% w/w fresh fruit, and 10.9 to 14.6% w/w dry weight seeds, respectively. The range of three predominated fatty acids C16:0, C18:1 and C18:2 in the seed oil of twelve Japanese quince genotypes were 8.1-9.8, 37.5-48.1, and 40.1-50.3%, respectively. alpha-Tocopherol and beta-sitosterol were the main minor lipophilic compounds detected in all investigated genotypes. The percentage of predomination of alpha-tocopherol and beta-sitosterol in each investigated genotype was very similar and amounted to 97-99% of total tocopherols and 76-80% of total phytosterols, respectively. The range of total content tocopherols and phytosterols in 12 genotypes of Japanese quince were 91.9-129.3 and 7830-14166 mg/100 g oil, respectively.

Automated summary

The study investigated the seeds and oil yield, fatty acid levels, tocopherols, and phytosterols in twelve genotypes of Japanese quince. It was found that there were variations in oil yield, fatty acid composition, and levels of minor lipophilic compounds in the seed oils of different genotypes.