VARIABILITY OF TOTAL FAT AND FATTY ACIDS IN NUT OIL FROM GEVUINA AVELLANA CLONES

F. Medel, T. Carillo
The genetic and production improvement research programme for Gevuina avellana (Gevuin), a tree native to Chile, has developed high productivity and quality clones of edible nuts with interesting results with respect to nut characteristics, yield, nutrition and phytotherapy purposes. Total fat and fatty acids, and especially monounsaturated fatty acids, are very important in the antioxidant complex. During 2001 and 2002, nuts from nine selected clones were analyzed to determine their lipid composition and the degree of variability among clones. After oil Soxhlet extraction, fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) were prepared by reacting the oil in n-hexane with a methanolic solution. FAME were determined in a Hewlett Packard 5890 (II) with a flame ionization detector. Significant differences in kernel oil were found among clones with respect to total fat, total saturated fatty acids and the unsaturated/ saturated ratio. The greatest in terms of mean isomer quantity was oleic fatty acid (C18:1∆9 = 35.32%). The hexadecenoic fatty acid (C16:1) content was the only monounsaturated fatty acid that showed significant differences among clones, with values ranging between 21.73 to 23.72%. The highest clonal value of C 16:1 in 2001 year was 24.38%, and had the following isomer proportions: ∆11 (23.83%), ∆9 (0.50%) and a third undetermined (0.05%). Total fat in the pericarp (shell) was very much lower (0.91%) than in cotyledons (46.67%), and fatty acids were found in different proportions to those in the kernel. There was variability in the UV radiation absorbance of the kernel oil obtained using the cold extrusion process. The results show the importance of clonal selection in Gevuin because there was evidence of genetic variation among clones in relation to content and quality of total fat and fatty acids in kernel oil.
Medel, F. and Carillo, T. (2005). VARIABILITY OF TOTAL FAT AND FATTY ACIDS IN NUT OIL FROM GEVUINA AVELLANA CLONES . Acta Hortic. 686, 631-638
DOI: 10.17660/ActaHortic.2005.686.84
https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2005.686.84
gevuin, avellano chileno, Chile nut, clonal selection, isomers, nutrition, phytotherapy, UV filter radiation
English

Acta Horticulturae