Composition and thermal characteristics of seed oil obtained from Chinese amaranth

Zhang, Zhen-shan; Kang, Yuan-jie; Che, Liming

Composition and thermal characteristics of seed oil obtained from Chinese amaranth

2019

Zhang, Zhen-shan | Kang, Yuan-jie | Che, Liming

Amaranthus tricolor and Amaranthus dubius are the most prevalent vegetable amaranths in China. The fatty acid composition, triacylglycerol (TAG) profile, vitamin E and sterol content, and thermal properties of seed oils extracted from these two vegetable amaranths were investigated in this work. The results reveal that the seed contains ∼8% oil. The main fatty acids in the oils are linoleic (51.5–53.5%), oleic (14.8–18.4%), palmitic (15.7–17.1%) and stearic (3.6–4.1%). PLL (∼22%), LLL (∼20%), LLO (∼17%) and POL (∼11%) are the dominant TAGs in the oils. The amaranth seed oils exhibit a distinct melting and crystallization profile that consists of 5 endothermic peaks and 2 exothermic peaks. The oils are rich in vitamin E (705–829 mg/kg) with δ-tocopherol as the major component. The two oils have similar total sterol contents (2488.7 and 2762.1 mg/100 g) but different individual sterol percentages. The higher contents of oil, linoleic acid, vitamin E, and sterols make the amaranth seed oil desirable in terms of nutrition.

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