Effect of almond genotypes on fatty acid composition, tocopherols and mineral contents and bioactive properties of sweet almond (Prunus amygdalus Batsch spp. dulce) kernel and oils

J Food Sci Technol. 2020 Nov;57(11):4182-4192. doi: 10.1007/s13197-020-04456-9. Epub 2020 Apr 30.

Abstract

Oil content of almond kernels ranged from 36.7% in the cultivar T12 to 79.0% in genotype T27. The major fatty acid in almond oil is oleic (62.43% in T7-76.34% in T4) followed by linoleic (13.97% in T4-29.55% in T3) and palmitic (4.97% in T2-7.51% inT3). The main tocopherol in almond oil was α-tocopherol (44.25 mg/100 g in T25-75.56 mg/100 g in T13) that was 44 folds higher than other tocopherols in the oil. Total tocopherol contents of almond oils ranged between 47.42 mg/100 g (T14) and 80.15 mg/100 g (T16). Among macro minerals, K was the highest (5238-14,683 mg/kg), followed by P (3475-11,123 mgkg), Ca (1798-5946 mg/kg), and Mg (2192-3591 mg/kg), whereas Na was the least (334-786 mg/kg) in almond kernel. The total polyphenol was observed in T16 (98.67 mg GAE/100 g), while the least was found in T24 (23.75 mg GAE/100 g). Antioxidant activity was high in T7 (91.18%) and low in T12 (44.59%).

Keywords: Almond cultivars; Almond oil; Antioxidant activity; Fatty acid; GC-FID; HPLC; ICP-AES; Mineral; Tocopherol; Total phenol.