engleski

Valorization of sea buckthorn berry (Elaeagnus rhamnoides (L.) A. Nelson) oil as a potential source of lipophilic bioactive molecules

Production of natural compounds from medicinal plants with numerous biological effects has become very popular due to increasing concerns about the safety of using synthetic substances and the effects of COVID -19 on health. Sea buckthorn (Elaeagnus rhamnoides (L.) A. Nelson), (SB) is known as an important source of natural antioxidant and antimicrobial bioactive molecules (BAM), but also, when added to foods, improves sensory properties, microbiological stability, and shelf life of products. The best-known sea buckthorn product is berry oil (SBO) (Yu et al., 2017), which contains large amounts of lipophilic BAM such as unsaturated fatty acids, tocopherols, carotenoids, and sterols (Koskovac e al., 2017), but differences in composition have been found depending on the cultivar, growing conditions and extraction methods used (Christe et al., 2020 ; Cenkowski, 2006). Supercritical CO2 extraction of oil as an advanced method is gaining popularity due to its better extraction efficiency compared to conventional extraction methods. Moreover, CO2 as an environmentally friendly and safe solvent (GRAS) can be easily removed from oil. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the content of fatty acids, sterols, and α-tocopherols, as well as the antioxidant capacity (AC) of SBO obtained by supercritical CO2 extraction from SB berries from Croatia. The tocopherol content of the SBO extracts was determined by HPLC/FLD, the content of fatty acids and sterols by GC-MS and AC by the lipophilic ORAC method. A total of 16 sterols were determined, with sitosterol (589.28 mg/100 g oil) being the most abundant, followed by campesterol (31.97 mg/100 g oil), uvaol (21.79 mg/100 g oil), and obtusifoliol (12.99 mg/100 g oil). High content of unsaturated fatty acids such as omega-7 palmitoleic acid (34.54%) and omega-6- γ-linolenic acid (10.78%) was also found. SBO was characterized by high content of α-tocopherol (275.63 mg/100 g oil) and high antioxidant ORAC capacity (1676.90 μmol TE /100 g oil). The results suggest that the SBO obtained by supercritical CO2 extraction is a rich source of various lipophilic BAM with high antioxidant capacity, which could be used for the production of natural products, functional foods and as food additives.

sea buckthorn pulp oil ; α-tocopherol ; fatty acids ; sterols ; antioxidant capacity

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