TITLE:
Lipid Profile and Antioxidant Activity of Macadamia Nuts (Macadamia integrifolia) Cultivated in Venezuela
AUTHORS:
Alejandra Rengel, Elevina Pérez, George Piombo, Julien Ricci, Adrien Servent, María Soledad Tapia, Olivier Gibert, Didier Montet
KEYWORDS:
Lipids, Antioxidant Activity, Fatty Acids, Macadamia Nut, Phytochemical Compounds
JOURNAL NAME:
Natural Science,
Vol.7 No.12,
November
24,
2015
ABSTRACT: Macadamia nuts (Macadamia integrifolia) grown in
Venezuela have showed an average total fat content of 70%. Oleic acid (18:1)
was the main monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) (51.3%), followed by palmitoleic
acid (16:1, 22.6%). The content of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), C18:2
and C18:3 represented 5.4%. Thus, MUFAs and PUFAs together constituted more
than 80% of the total fatty acids present. Trans-vaccenic acid was also
present (3%). As regards to other
phytochemical compounds, tocopherols and tocotrienols were not found in the
sample, but the presence of squalene was detected.The antioxidant
activity (44.2%) of the extract was produced by the phytochemicals present.