Organically Cultivated Vine Varieties—Distinctive Qualities of the Oils Obtained from Grape Seeds

Abstract

Grape seeds, which have an increased concentration of high-quality compounds in their oil, are the byproduct of the grape processing industry. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the physico-chemical and bioactive profile of grape seed oil (GSO) obtained by extraction with n-hexane, using three different techniques and coming from two varieties of grapes. DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging ability assessments, and CUPRAC and FRAP assays, were used to determine the oil’s antioxidant properties, whereas the total phenolic content (TPC) was determined by applying an adapted version of the Folin–Ciocalteu technique. Utilizing a coupling method of gas chromatography and mass spectrometry, 14 fatty acids have been identified by analyzing their methylated intermediates. GSOs were characterized by a high content of polyunsaturated acids (PUFAs) (69.25–80.32%), of which linoleic acid stands out (66.97 and 79.88%), followed by monounsaturated acids (MUFAs) (16.64–19.59%), with the representative being oleic acid (15.20–17.86%) and then saturated acids (SFAs) (9.26–15.53%), through the palmitic acid (6.29–9.82%). GSO from Merlot samples recovered by MW had the greatest ratio of fatty acids with hypo-/hypercholesterolemia (H/H) values (14.09). The atherogenicity index and thrombogenicity index ranges for red GSO were 0.278–0.393 and 0.242–0.268, respectively, and for white GSO, 0.401–0.440 and 0.256–0.268, respectively. The oil from the red grape variety has the highest quantity of total polyphenols regardless of the extraction method (1.263–2.035 mg GAE/g vs. 0.918–1.013 mg GAE/g). Through the DPPH and FRAP methods, the results were similar (8.443–14.035 µmol TE/g oil and 6.981–13.387 µmol TE/g oil, respectively). The best results were obtained by the CUPRAC method (8.125–19.799 µmol TE/g oil). The assessment of the grape varieties revealed that they are appropriate for making edible GSO, which was endorsed by our results.