The seeds and oil yield and profile/levels of fatty acids, tocopherols and phytosterols in seed oils of twelve Japanese quince (Chaenomeles japonica) genotypes were studied. The seeds and oil yield ranged from 3.8 to 5.7% w/w fresh fruit, and 10.9 to 14.6% w/w dry weight seeds, respectively. The range of three predominated fatty acids C16:0, C18:1 and C18:2 in the seed oil of twelve Japanese quince genotypes were 8.1-9.8, 37.5-48.1, and 40.1-50.3%, respectively. α-Tocopherol and β-sitosterol were the main minor lipophilic compounds detected in all investigated genotypes. The percentage of predomination of α-tocopherol and β-sitosterol in each investigated genotype was very similar and amounted to 97-99% of total tocopherols and 76-80% of total phytosterols, respectively. The range of total content tocopherols and phytosterols in 12 genotypes of Japanese quince were 91.9-129.3 and 7830-14166 mg/100 g oil, respectively.
Keywords: Japanese quince seed oil; fatty acids; genotype; phytosterols; tocopherols.