Contents of carotenoids, tocopherols and sterols in acacia cyanophylla seed oils

WOS:000320433100013 ; http://link.springer.com/journal/11746International audienceSeeds from 12 Acacia cyanophylla ecotypes, harvested in Tunisia, were examined for their seed oil contents of carotenoids, tocopherols and phytosterols. The average carotenoid content (lutein and zeaxanthin) was ca. 102 mg kg(-1) of total extracted lipids. Lutein (ca. 97 mg kg(-1) of total extracted lipids) was usually more abundant than zeaxanthin (ca. 5 mg kg(-1) of total extracted lipids). The mean total tocopherol content was ca. 704 mg kg(-1) of total extracted lipids. The main isomer was alpha-tocopherol, with more than 75 % of total tocopherols (ca. 528 mg kg(-1) of total extracted lipids), followed by gamma-tocopherol (ca. 168 mg kg(-1) of total extracted lipids) and delta-tocopherol (ca. 86 mg kg(-1) of total lipids). High levels of phytosterols (ca. 7.8 g kg(-1) of total extracted lipids) were detected, among which beta-sitosterol was the most abundant (47 %). All these results highlight the richness of carotenoids, tocopherols and sterols in A. cyanophylla seed oil, and imply that this species might constitute a potential resource for the development of functional foods