Policosanol in Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) Seed Oil: the Effect of Cultivar

J Oleo Sci. 2015;64(6):625-31. doi: 10.5650/jos.ess15002. Epub 2015 Apr 20.

Abstract

Soxhlet-petroleum ether extraction was used to obtain oil from tomato seeds. Three tomato cultivars from South Italy (Principe Borghese, Rebelion F1 and San Marzano) were studied. Policosanol is a mixture of long chain linear fatty alcohols (n-alkanols), its content and composition was found to be highly significantly influenced by cultivar. Seven fatty alcohols were detected: docosanol (C22-ol), tricosanol (C23-ol), tetracosanol (C24-ol), pentacosanol (C25-ol), hexacosanol (C26-ol), heptacosanol (C27-ol) and octacosanol (C28-ol). The highest policosanol content was found in Principe Borghese 71.88 mg/Kg. Octacosanol was the linear alcohol present in highest quantity, i.e. 38-42% of the total linear alcohols detected in tomato seed oils (TSO). Chemometrics was applied to study the differences among cultivars. The sum of even long chained fatty alcohols was always more than 95% of the total policosanol content. One-way ANOVA and principal component analysis well differentiated the three cultivars.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Fatty Alcohols / analysis
  • Fatty Alcohols / chemistry*
  • Fatty Alcohols / isolation & purification*
  • Liquid-Liquid Extraction / methods
  • Plant Oils / chemistry*
  • Plant Oils / isolation & purification*
  • Seeds / chemistry
  • Solanum lycopersicum / chemistry*
  • Species Specificity

Substances

  • Fatty Alcohols
  • Plant Oils
  • policosanol
  • 1-octacosanol