DETERMINATION OF CHEMICAL COMPOSITION AND FATTY ACIDS OF BLACKTHORN FRUITS (PRUNUS SPINOSA) GROWN NEAR CLUJ-NAPOCA, NW ROMANIA

Vanda Babalau-Fuss INCDO-INOE 2000, Research Institute for Analytical Instrumentation, 67 Donath Street, 400293 Cluj-Napoca, Romania,
Oana Bogdana Grebla Faculty of Science and Technology Food, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, 3-5 Manastur Street, 400372, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Oana Cadar INCDO-INOE 2000, Research Institute for Analytical Instrumentation, 67 Donath Street, 400293 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Maria Alexandra Hoaghia INCDO-INOE 2000, Research Institute for Analytical Instrumentation, 67 Donath Street, 400293 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Melinda Haydee Kovacs INCDO-INOE 2000, Research Institute for Analytical Instrumentation, 67 Donath Street, 400293 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Ana Moldovan INCDO-INOE 2000, Research Institute for Analytical Instrumentation, 67 Donath Street, 400293 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Maria Tofană Faculty of Science and Technology Food, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, 3-5 Manastur Street, 400372, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

DOI: https://doi.org/10.15835/agrisp.v105i1-2.13046

Keywords: Prunus spinosa, chemical composition, fatty acids

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the chemical composition and the fatty acids in blackthorn fruits (Prunus spinosa) in order to valorize them as sources of nutrients. Different analyses, such as dry matter, protein, fatty acids, ash and mineral contents (Na, K, Ca, Mg and P) were performed. The blackthorn fruits were sampledfrom wild-grownbushes, near Cluj-Napoca, NW Romania. After sampling, the fruits were washed and freeze dried. The following analyses were investigated: (i) dry matter and ash contents by gravimetric methods, (ii) mineral content by inductively coupled plasma optical mission spectrometry (ICP-OES) after microwave-assisted acid digestion, (iii) protein content using Flash EA 2000 CHNS/O analyzer and (iv) fatty acids by gas chromatography with flame ionization detector (GC-FID). It was reported that blackthorn fruits are rich in minerals and fatty acids. In blackthorn fruits, polyunsaturated fatty acids predominated over monounsaturated fatty acids due to the abundance of oleic acid (C18:1). These fruits also contain high levels of linoleic acid and lower amounts of α-linolenic acid. The obtained results revealed good nutritional properties of blackthorn fruit. Therefore, blackthorn fruits can constitute a source for products of great pro-healthy properties(tincture, wines, and teas).

Published

2018-07-02

Issue

Vol. 105 No. 1-2 (2018): AGRICULTURA

Section

Research articles

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The papers published in the journal are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, which permits unrestricted, non-commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited.

Open Access Journal: The journal allow the author(s) to retain publishing rights without restrictions. Authors are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles, or use them for any other lawful purpose, without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author.

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).