INHERITANCE OF TOCOPHEROL CONTENT IN SUNFLOWER SEEDS IN RETURN CROSSING

The aim of this work was to study the inheritance of the total tocopherol content (TTC) in backcrosses of sunflower breeding lines. Inheritance in the BC1 generation with a highly significant parent is carried out according to the type of intermediate and overdominance (h/d from -0.53 to 2.81), with low significance – according to the type of intermediate and negative overdominance (h/d from -0.59 to -1, 48). A significant positive correlation between the values of the recurrent parent and BC1, equal to 0.8, indicates the observed maternal effect. In the I1BC1 generation, positive and negative transgression was found.

Sour Cherry (Cerasus vulgaris Miller) Kernel Oil as the Novel Functional Edible Oil: Sensory Evaluation and Antioxidant and Physicochemical Properties

This study aims to extract oil from fresh sour cherry kernel (Cerasus vulgaris Miller) using the cold press method. The oil content and moisture were obtained as 31.89% and 4%, respectively. The organoleptic assessment of the oil was acceptable and the free fatty acid value was obtained as 1.36 (mg KOH/g oil). In addition, peroxide value and anisidine index of sour cherry kernel oil were obtained as 0.99 meqO2/kg oil and 0.15, respectively. The predominant fatty acids were linoleic acid (42.34%), oleic acid (35.45%), α-eleostearic acid (9.34%), and palmitic acid (6.54%), respectively. The kernel oil contained nine major triacylglycerols consisting of OLL (20.44%), OOL (16.99%), LLL (8.20%), LLEl (7.28%), PLO (7.24%), OElO (5.03%), OOO (4.70%), ElLO (4.54%), PLL (4.35%), and POO (3%), respectively. The most abundant sterol compounds were β-sitosterol (83.55%), ∆5-avenasterol (6.8%), sitostanol (4.8%), campesterol (3.5%), and stigmasterol (0.53%), respectively. Also, antioxidant activity, total phenol content (TPC), total anthocyanin content (TAC), total flavonoid content (TFC), total tannin content (TTC), and total tocopherol content were obtained as 73.22%, 33.44 mg GA/g dry matter, 177.84 mg/L, 46.37 mg/g dry matter, and 1.21 mg GA/g dry matter, 832.5 mg/kg oil, respectively. The amount of amygdalin in the oil sample was not detectable.

Genetic Analysis of Reducedγ-Tocopherol Content in Ethiopian Mustard Seeds

Ethiopian mustard (Brassica carinataA. Braun) line BCT-6, with reducedγ-tocopherol content in the seeds, has been previously developed. The objective of this research was to conduct a genetic analysis of seed tocopherols in this line. BCT-6 was crossed with the conventional line C-101 and theF1,F2, and BC plant generations were analyzed. Generation mean analysis using individual scaling tests indicated that reducedγ-tocopherol content fitted an additive-dominant genetic model with predominance of additive effects and absence of epistatic interactions. This was confirmed through a joint scaling test and additional testing of the goodness of fit of the model. Conversely, epistatic interactions were identified for total tocopherol content. Estimation of the minimum number of genes suggested that bothγ- and total tocopherol content may be controlled by two genes. A positive correlation between total tocopherol content and the proportion ofγ-tocopherol was identified in theF2generation. Additional research on the feasibility of developing germplasm with high tocopherol content and reduced concentration ofγ-tocopherol is required.

Tocopherols in Sunflower Seedlings under Light and Dark Conditions

The objective of this study was to evaluate the dynamics of tocopherols in cotyledons and radicles from sunflower seeds with high and low total tocopherol content, mainly in theα-tocopherol form, and from seeds with increased proportions ofβ-,γ-, andδ-tocopherol, both under dark and light conditions. Tocopherol content was measured every 24 h from 1 to 12 days after sowing. In all cases, the content of individual tocopherol forms in the cotyledons and radicles was reduced along the sampling period, which was more pronounced under light conditions. The presence of light had a slightly greater effect onα- andγ-tocopherol than onβ- andδ-tocopherol. A marked light effect was also observed on total tocopherol content, with light promoting the reduction of tocopherol content in cotyledons and radicles. The study revealed only slight differences in the patterns of tocopherol losses in lines with different tocopherol profiles, both under dark and light conditions, which suggested that the partial replacement ofα-tocopherol by other tocopherol forms had no great impact on the protection against oxidative damage in seedlings.

Fatty acids, tocopherol, and sterol contents of some Nigella species seed oil

The lipid compositions of the seed oils of some Nigella species were investigated. The total oil content of the seeds ranged from 28.0 to 36.4%. GC-MS fatty acid compositional analysis of the Nigella seed oils revealed the content of linoleic acid to be the highest (40.3–58.9%). Other prominent fatty acids were as follows: oleic (18.7–28.1%), palmitic (10.1–12.5%), 22:1 D11 (3.2–3.8%) and stearic (2.6–3.1%) acids. All the Nigella seed oils analysed exhibited differences in their tocopherol contents and the differences were estimated. The oils extracted from the seeds contained between 1.70–4.12 mg/100 g α-T, 0.97–4.51 mg/100 g γ-T, and 4.90–17.91 mg/100 g β-T3. The total tocopherol content in seeds varied between 9.15 mg/100 g to 24.65 mg/100 g. The compositions of the sterol fractions were determined by gas liquid chromatography. The total amounts of sterols ranged between 1993.07 mg/kg to 2182.17 mg/kg. The main component was β-sitosterol (48.35–51.92%), followed by 5-avenasterol, campesterol, and stigmasterol.

Genetic and environmental variation for tocopherol content and composition in sunflower commercial hybrids

Tocopherols are the most important compounds having antioxidant activity in sunflower seeds. The objective of the present research was to study the genetic and environmental variation for tocopherol content and composition in sunflower. Thirty-six sunflower hybrids were grown at 13 locations across all major areas of sunflower cultivation in southern Spain. Seed yield, 100 seed weight, oil content and tocopherol content and composition were determined. Tocopherol content ranged from 314·5 to 1024·5 mg/kg seed and from 562·8 to 1872·8 mg/kg oil. The tocopherol fraction was largely composed of alpha-tocopherol, which accounted for 88·4% to 96·3% of the total tocopherols. Both genotypic and environmental effects were significant for tocopherol content and composition. For alpha-, beta- and total tocopherol content, the effect of the genotype was larger than that of the environment, whereas the latter had a greater effect on gamma-tocopherol content. Genotype×location interaction was significant for alpha-, gamma- and total tocopherol content. Tocopherol content was not correlated with seed oil or seed yield, indicating the possibility of selecting for this trait without affecting the performance of the genotypes.