Affiliation:
1. Unité Analyses Alimentaires, Ecole Nationale d’Ingénieurs de Sfax, Route de Soukra 3038 Sfax, Tunisia
2. Unité de Biotechnologie et Pathologie, Institut Supérieur de Biotechnologie de Sfax, Route de Soukra 3038 Sfax, Tunisia
3. Unité Analyses Alimentaires, Ecole Nationale d’Ingénieurs de Sfax, Route de Soukra 3038 Sfax, Tunisia,
4. Unité de Technologie des Industries Agro-alimentaires, Faculté Universitaire des Sciences Agronomiques de Gembloux, passage des Déportés 2, 5030 Gembloux, Belgium
Abstract
The proximate composition of Aleppo pine ( Pinus halepensis Mill.) seeds cultivated in Bizerta (Tunisia) were investigated for their fatty acid composition, and their thermal and physical properties of lipid fraction. The proximate analysis of pine seeds showed the following composition (on a dry-weight basis): protein 22.7%, oil 43.3%, ash 8.3% and total carbohydrate 25.7%. Potassium, magnesium and calcium were the predominant mineral elements present in the seeds and reached, together, about 1%. Oleic and linoleic acids were the major unsaturated fatty acids (27.3 and 48.8%, respectively), while the main saturated one was palmitic acid (8.75%). Myristic, myristoleic, palmitoleic, margaric, margaroleic, stearic, linolenic, arachidic, eicosenoic, eicosadienoic, eicosatrienoic, behenic and lignoceric acids were also detected. Thermal profile of Pinus halepensis Mill. seed oil, determined by its DSC melting curve, showed that the entire liquefaction of the Aleppo pine seed oil occurs at 8°C. CieLab colour parameters ( L*, a*, b*), oxidative stability by Rancimat test and viscosity were also determined. Physico-chemical properties of the oil include: saponification number 190, peroxide value 3.18, iodine index 117, and a low acidity of 0.61%. Results suggested that the production of oil from Pinus halepensis seeds could provide a potential use in food, pharmaceutical, cosmetics and other non-food industries.
Subject
Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering,General Chemical Engineering,Food Science