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Changes in Fatty Acid, Tocopherol and Xanthophyll Contents During the Development of Tunisian‐Grown Pecan Nuts
Author(s) -
Bouali Intidhar,
Trabelsi Hajer,
Abdallah Ikram Bou,
Albouchi Ali,
Martine Lucy,
Grégoire Stéphane,
Bouzaien Ghaith,
Gandour Mhemmed,
Boukhchina Sadok,
Berdeaux Olivier
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
journal of the american oil chemists' society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.512
H-Index - 117
eISSN - 1558-9331
pISSN - 0003-021X
DOI - 10.1007/s11746-013-2340-y
Subject(s) - ripening , xanthophyll , lutein , food science , zeaxanthin , polyunsaturated fatty acid , tocopherol , chemistry , carotenoid , fatty acid , botany , vitamin e , biology , biochemistry , antioxidant
Among oil compounds, fatty acids, tocopherols and xanthophylls (lutein and zeaxanthin) are of special interest due to their nutritional properties. The identification and quantification of these compounds in pecan nuts ( Carya illinoinensis ) could therefore be very useful to produce functional foods rich in compounds of this type. This paper reports studies on their accumulation and the effect of ripening on the content of these high value‐added compounds. The total lipid content increased during the ripening. Saturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids decreased significantly, whereas, monounsaturated fatty acids increased during the ripening of pecan nut fruit. Maximum levels of total tocopherol (279.53 mg/kg oil) and xanthophyll (6.18 mg/kg oil) were detected at 20th weeks after the flowering date. These amounts decreased gradually as ripening advances. The early stages of pecan ripening seem to have nutritional and pharmaceutical interests. These results may be useful for evaluating the pecan nut quality and determining the optimal period when the pecans accumulated the maximum of these nutritional and healthy compounds.