FATTY-ACID, TRIACYLGLYCEROL, TOCOPHEROL, STEROL, PHOSPHOLIPID-COMPOSITION AND OXIDATIVE STABILITY OF EGYPTIAN NIGELLA-SATIVA SEED OIL

Fatty acid and triacylglycerol composition, fatty acid distribution am ong glycerol carbons -2 and -1(3), tocopherol, sterol and phospholipid composition and autoxidative stability of crude Egyptian Nigella sati va seed oil were determined. Fatty acid composition of the triacylglyc erol portion of the oil was: 59.6% linoleic, 23.8% oleic, 12.4% palmit ic and 3.5% stearic with less than 1.0% linolenic acids. The major tri acylglycerols were trilinoleoyl, 24.6% oleoyldilinoleoyl, 19.6% palmit oyldilinoleoyl, 17.5%; palmitoyloleoyllinoleoyl, 12.9% and dioleoyllin oleoyl, 9.6%, glycerols. The distribution of linoleic acid among glyce rol carbons -2 and -1(3) was about equal. Alpha, beta, gamma and delta -tocopherols were identified in the crude oil. Crude oil sterols were beta-sitosterol, campesterol and stigmastanol. Crude oil phospholipid ccmposition was phosphatidylethanolamine, 94.3% phosphatidylcholine, 5 .4%, and phosphatidylinositol, 0.3%. Oxidation of crude Nigella sativa seed oil in the dark in oxygen at 60 degrees C showed an induction pe riod of one day, followed by a rapid oxidation level increase to perox ide value 76 meg/Kg after 5 days.