Nutritional and Health Values of Tunisian Edible Oils from Less-Used Plant Sources

Rossella Vadalà, Vincenzo Nava, Vincenzo Lo Turco (), Angela Giorgia Potortì, Rosaria Costa, Rossana Rando, Hedi Ben Mansour, Nawres Ben Amor, Asma Beltifa, Antonello Santini () and Giuseppa Di Bella
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Rossella Vadalà: BIOMORF Department, University of Messina, Viale Annunziata, 98100 Messina, Italy
Vincenzo Nava: BIOMORF Department, University of Messina, Viale Annunziata, 98100 Messina, Italy
Vincenzo Lo Turco: BIOMORF Department, University of Messina, Viale Annunziata, 98100 Messina, Italy
Angela Giorgia Potortì: BIOMORF Department, University of Messina, Viale Annunziata, 98100 Messina, Italy
Rosaria Costa: BIOMORF Department, University of Messina, Viale Annunziata, 98100 Messina, Italy
Rossana Rando: BIOMORF Department, University of Messina, Viale Annunziata, 98100 Messina, Italy
Hedi Ben Mansour: Research Unit of Analysis and Process Applied to the Environnement (APAE UR17E532), Higher Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology Mahdia, BISSAT University of Monastir, Monastir 5000, Tunisia
Nawres Ben Amor: Research Unit of Analysis and Process Applied to the Environnement (APAE UR17E532), Higher Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology Mahdia, BISSAT University of Monastir, Monastir 5000, Tunisia
Asma Beltifa: Research Unit of Analysis and Process Applied to the Environnement (APAE UR17E532), Higher Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology Mahdia, BISSAT University of Monastir, Monastir 5000, Tunisia
Antonello Santini: Department of Pharmacy, University of Napoli Federico II, Via D. Montesano 49, 80131 Napoli, Italy
Giuseppa Di Bella: BIOMORF Department, University of Messina, Viale Annunziata, 98100 Messina, Italy

Agriculture, 2023, vol. 13, issue 5, 1-15

Abstract: The reclaim of less-used plant sources is a novel approach to the growing demand for healthy and eco-friendly foods, and it constitutes a sustainable alternative to replace conventional food ingredients and sources of bioactives. In this work, a phytochemical profile in terms of mineral elements, total polyphenols, fatty acids, α-tocopherol, sterols, and squalene was realized for several commercial edible oils of bitter almond, pumpkin seed, apricot kernel, nigella, souchet, and wheat germ sourced in the Tunisian market. Wheat germ oil, which showed the most significant nutritional and healthy impact, contained the highest contents of Mg (52.37 mg kg −1 ); Na (40.75 mg kg −1 ); Mn (2.39 mg kg −1 ); total sterols (1713.80 mg/100 g); and PUFAs (61.01%). The high levels of squalene detected on pumpkin seed oils (1160.01 mg kg −1 ) allows to proposet it as valuable functional food. The highest total polyphenolic content found in nigella oils (109.01 mg GAE kg −1 ) justifies its stability and antioxidant properties. A daily consumption of 10 g of bitter almond or souchet oil contributes to a 17.53% and 8.6% alpha-tocopherol daily intake, respectively. The usual consumption of these minor oils may represent a sustainable and convenient source of bioactives with beneficial effects on both human health and nutrition.

Keywords: less-used plant sources; recovery; sustainable food; edible oils; phytochemical profile; nutritional value; healthy value (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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