GC-MS and HPLC-DAD analysis of fatty acid profile and functional phytochemicals in fifty cold-pressed plant oils in Thailand

Jitkunya Yuenyong; Piramon Pokkanta; Nutthatida Phuangsaijai; Sila Kittiwachana; Sugunya Mahatheeranont; Phumon Sookwong

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e06304

GC-MS and HPLC-DAD analysis of fatty acid profile and functional phytochemicals in fifty cold-pressed plant oils in Thailand

Heliyon. 2021 Feb 20;7(2):e06304. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e06304. eCollection 2021 Feb.

Authors

Jitkunya Yuenyong^{1

2}, Piramon Pokkanta¹, Nutthatida Phuangsaijai³, Sila Kittiwachana^{3

4}, Sugunya Mahatheeranont^{1

4

5}, Phumon Sookwong^{1

4}

Affiliations

¹ Rice and Cereal Chemistry Research Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand.
² Master's Degree Program in Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand.
³ Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand.
⁴ Research Center on Chemistry for Development of Health Promoting Products from Northern Resources, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand.
⁵ Center of Excellence for Innovation in Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand.

Abstract

Cold-pressed oil is one of the healthiest plant extracts, but its use is limited only in some kinds of plants. Therefore, we aimed to investigate some potential cold-pressed oils with attractive fatty acid profiles and high amounts of functional phytochemicals. Fifty cold-pressed plant oils were prepared from various plant materials in Thailand, in which some of them were from uncommon or unattended plant materials. The oils included were nut oils (n = 9), pseudo-cereal oils (n = 9), legume oils (n = 3), amaranth oils (n = 3), marrow seed oils (n = 8), cruciferous seed oils (n = 7), and leafy green seed oils (n = 11). Gas-chromatography mass-spectrometry (GC-MS) and high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with a diode array detector (HPLC-DAD) were employed to analyze fatty acid profile and five functional phytochemicals (e.g., phytosterols, cholecalciferol, and squalene). Saturated fatty acids were detected around 7.87-36.04%, monounsaturated fatty acids 10.17-80.25%, and polyunsaturated fatty acids nondetectable (ND)-78.25%, phytosterols 663-15123 μg g^-1, squalene 265-5979 μg g^-1, and cholecalciferol ND-1287.75 μg g^-1. The study showed chemical characteristic of the analyzed oils: some contained good fatty acid composition and some were rich in functional phytochemical content. Among the obtained oils, marrow seed oils are a good source of phytosterol, cholecalciferol, and linoleic acid. Pseudo-cereal oils are rich in squalene and linolenic acid. Legume oils are rich in phytosterols and oleic acid. Besides, principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to identify the significance of oils that share compositional similarity (e.g., the samples from pseudo-cereal oil were found on the lower side of the PCA space, which separated them from marrow and leafy green seed oils distributed on the upper part of the plot). In summary, the qualitative and quantitative data would provide a good foundation for further application or selection of those plant oils for health purposes.

Keywords: Antioxidant; Cholecalciferol; Fatty acid; Oil; Phytosterols; Squalene.