Fatty Acid Composition, Tocopherols, Volatile Compounds, and Sensory Evaluation of Low Morphine Yielding Varieties of Poppy (Papaver somniferum L.) Seeds and Oils

Low morphine yielding winter ('Zeno Morphex') and summer ('Viola', 'Mieszko', 'Borowski') poppy varieties were investigated for their chemical composition and sensory properties. The oil content of the 13 seed samples as well as that of fatty acids, tocopherols, and volatile compounds in the respective oils were determined, and the sensory profiles of the seeds and oils were established. Linoleic acid made up 70.7-75.2% of the fatty acids. High amounts of gamma-tocopherol were detected, especially in variety 'Viola' (287 +/- 34 mg kg(-1)), while delta-tocopherol was only present in 'Zeno Morphex' (3.9 +/- 0.6 mg kg(-1)). The most abundant volatiles were caproic acid (1.4-148 mu g g(-1)), hexanal (0.9-15.2 mu g g(-1)), 1-hexanol (0.3-20.1 mu g g(-1)), limonene (1.3-9.4 mu g g(-1)), and 2-pentylfuran (1.0-7.8 mu g g(-1)). The sensory panel distinguished samples in particular by fatty/oily, rancid, sweet, and green attributes, the green aroma being correlated to three methoxypyrazines only present in summer poppies.

Automated summary

The study investigated the chemical composition and sensory properties of low morphine yielding winter and summer poppy varieties, analyzing their fatty acids, tocopherols, volatile compounds, and sensory profiles. The oils in the seeds were found to contain high amounts of gamma-tocopherol and specific volatile compounds. The sensory panel was able to distinguish between samples based on fatty/oily, rancid, sweet, and green attributes, with the presence of certain methoxypyrazines in summer poppies contributing to a distinct green aroma.