Investigation the fatty acid profile of commercial black cumin seed oils and seed oil capsules: Application to real samples

Abstract

Abstract: Medicinal and aromatic plants are widely used around the world. Today, Black cumin (Nigella sativaL.), one of the most popular medicinal plants, offers numerous benefits for human health. Black cumin oil hasknown to be used for the treatment of asthma, hypertension, cancer, rheumatism, and headaches over the courseof many years. In this study, ten different black cumin seed oils and seed oil capsules, which have been obtainedfrom local markets in Turkey, were investigated for their fatty acid profiles as percentages via gas chromatographyand mass spectroscopy (GC-MS). According to the results obtained, the major fatty acids found in capsules andoil samples were similar with small differences in terms of amount; linoleic, oleic and palmitic acids were foundas major compounds; 35.27-58.15%, 25.06-51.83%, 7.29-12.88 % in oil samples; 36.67- 56.61%, 24.93-46.71%,and 7.90-12.71% in seed oils capsule samples, respectively. This is the first study determining the fatty acidpercentages of commercial black cumin seed oil and seed oil capsules.