engleski

Pigments in spice seed oils: effect of seed type and extraction method

Spice seed oils are a subject of interest to the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries, but the studies on this topic are limited. Characteristic color of spice seeds oils derives from naturally occurring pigments, which quantity varies due to the seed type as well as extraction conditions. Hence, this study aimed to examine differences in pigments content of seed oils upon a) seed type and b) oil extraction method. Oil from seeds of fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.), caraway (Carum carvi L.), coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) and star anise (Illicum verum Hook. f.) was produced using Accelerated Solvent Extraction (ASE) at 25 and 100 °C, standard Soxhlet extraction (SE) and extraction by agitation at room temperature (AE) using hexane as an extraction solvent. Accordingly, 16 oil samples were obtained and dissolved in acetone to examine the content (mg/100 g of oil) of chlorophyll a (Ch a), chlorophyll b (Ch b) and total carotenoids (TC) by spectrophotometry. Content of pigments was determined as follows: Ch a ranged from 0.58 – 30.98 mg/100 g, Ch b from 0.89 – 9.98 mg/100 g, while TC were determined in a range from 0.37 – 14.83 mg/100 g. Statistical analysis showed significant differences (p≤0.05) in pigments content among oil samples influenced by seed type as well as extraction method. Fennel oil had the highest concentrations of pigments (Ch a=23.60 mg/100 g, Ch b=8.83 mg/100 g, TC=12.31 mg/100 g). High concentrations of chlorophylls (Ch a=10.94 mg/100 g, Ch b=4.75 mg/100 g) were also present in star anise oil, however its content of TC was lower (1.20 mg/100 g). Interestingly, caraway oil had 4.82 mg/100 g of TC, while chlorophylls were less presented (Ch a=2.71 mg/100 g, Ch b=2.65 mg/100 g). The lowest contents of all analyzed pigments were determined in coriander oil (Ch a=1.73 mg/100 g, Ch b=2.16 mg/100 g, TC=0.66 mg/100 g). In relation to the extraction method, ASE/25 °C was the least exhaustive, while ASE/100 °C, SE and AE showed similar effectiveness. Finally, it can be concluded that fennel oil was the richest in pigments and ASE/100 °C could be highlighted due to the good efficiency in considerably shorter extraction time.

spice seed oils ; pigments ; chlorophylls ; carotenoids ; oil extraction

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