Polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) rich vegetable oils are nutritionally and economically important agriculture based commodities. The lipid profile, nutraceutical content, and antioxidant activity of Indian chia seed oil (CSO) were analysed and compared with PUFA rich vegetable oils. The total oil content was 28% (w/w) with α-linolenic acid (ALA; 65%) as the predominant fatty acid and a n-3/n-6 ratio of 3.5. The tocopherol content was 144 mg/kg of oil, with γ + β being the most abundant. The squalene content was 178.47 mg/100 g of oil, and the total phenolic content was 0.014 mg GAE/g of oil. The identity of major polyphenols in the methanolic extract of CSO were established by LC-HRMS. FTIR spectra of CSO exhibited characteristic features that were identical to other PUFA rich oils. Results demonstrate that the Indian CSO is an excellent source of essential fatty acids and key nutraceuticals.
Keywords: Chia seed oil; Lipid profiling; Nutraceuticals; PUFA.
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