CHEMICAL STUDY OF MEDICINAL PLANT SEEDS

Seeds from Plantago lanceolata L.; Tagetes minuta L., Centaurea calcitrapa L., Dipsacus fullonum L. var. sylvestris; Cichorium intybus L.; Ammi majus L. and Passiflora coerulea L. harvested at Olavarría (Buenos Aires, Argentina) were defatted with n-hexane, yielding 2.3 – 3.2 – 22.9 – 27.4 – 13.3 – 11.7 y 29.9% of crude oils (dry basis), respectively. Physicochemical characteristics and fatty acid composition of the oils were determinated, witt only three acids in significative proportion : 16:0, 18:1 y 18:2. The residual seed meals contained low level of crude protein and high level of available lysine in the Dipsacus fullonum L., Ammi majus L., Passiflora coerulea L. y Centaurea calcitrapa L. meals (7.37 – 5.1 – 4.49 – 4.04 g/16 g N, respectively). Values of total phosphorous, phytic acid, ash, crude fiber, calcium, polysaccharides (starch absent) and residual lipid were reported.