The influence of microwave roasting on bioactive components and chemical parameters of cold pressed fig seed oil

Abstract

The effect of microwave roasting process on the compositional parameters and bioactive contents of fig seed oil were investigated. Fig seeds were ground and roasted in a microwave oven at 350, 460 and 600 Watt for 5 and 10 minutes and the roasted seeds were processed to obtain oil. The results showed that peroxide, K232 and K270 values were adversely affected by roasting. Fig seed oil was a prosperous source of γ-tocopherol and significant losses were observed due to microwave pre-treatment. The major fatty acids in fig seed oil were linolenic, linoleic and oleic acids; whereas the major triacylglycerols were LnLO, LnLnL, LnLnLn and LnLnO, according to fatty acid profile. The most abundant sterol in the fig seed oil samples was β-sitosterol with 3235.90 to 3625.62 mg/kg, followed by Δ5- and Δ7-avenasterols. The principal component analysis and agglomerative hierarchial clustering served to differentiate between intense and mild microwave-treated oils as well as the unroasted samples.