DETERMINATION OF FATTY ACID COMPOSITION AND ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF FIG SEED OIL

Abstract

Ficus carica is a tree that grows in the Eastern Mediterranean and Southwest Asia. It is among the first cultivated plants by humans. Ficus carica, called figs, has a very large family and more than 700 known species. Different parts of the plant like its fruit, latex, leaves, and seeds have a very important medical value. However, studies on fig seed oils are very limited. In this study, the fatty acid composition of fig seed oils was determined by gas chromatography/mass spectrophotometry (GC/MS). Total antioxidant activity analysis was made through DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) method and antioxidant activity value was determined as trolox equivalent (TE). While the total oil yield was determined as 14.08%, the antioxidant capacity was determined to be 140.19 mg TE/100 g. According to GC/MS analysis, it was determined that the highest fatty acid was α-Linolenic acid (26.31%), followed by linoleic acid (24.27%) and oleic acid (19.65%). With these results and limited literature information, it is clear that figs can be evaluated outside of common consumption.

Ficus carica, fatty acid, seed oil, antioxidant capacity, DPPH, figs,