Bioquímica y Bioquímica Analítica

Abstracto

Evolution of fixed oil, phytosterols and polyphenols contents during maturation of Tunisian wild Laurel fruits (Laurus nobilis L.)

Khaled Sebei, Abdelmajid Zouhir

The laurel fruits showed an increase in oil content reaching a maximum value at 140 days after flowering (23, 76%) but the later maturation stages showed a decrease in lipid accumulation. In laurus nobulis, the main fatty acid was oleic acid (C18:1) which attained a maximum value at the 140th DAF (47, 22%), before slowly decreasing at 150 DAF (46, 67%). Seven phytosterols were identified: campesterol, stigmasterol, β-sitosterol, Δ5-avenasterol, chlerosterol, Δ-5 Stigmastenol, Δ5-24Stigmastadienol. The β-sitosterol represented the main component of the phytosterols (84, 02%). During the first period of laurel fruit ripening (from 90 to 110 DAF) the amount of all sterols increased to a maximum. After the 110th DAF, the total sterols content decreased gradually to reach its lowest level at complete maturity of the fruit. The amount of peroxide index and all natural antioxydant contents increased to a maximum during the first period of fruit ripening.