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. 2024 Mar 19;29(6):1360.
doi: 10.3390/molecules29061360.

Variation in the Composition and Quality of Nigella sativa L. Seed Oils-The Underestimated Impact on Possible Health-Promoting Properties

Grzegorz Dąbrowski  1 , Sylwester Czaplicki  1 , Iwona Konopka  1
Affiliations

Variation in the Composition and Quality of Nigella sativa L. Seed Oils-The Underestimated Impact on Possible Health-Promoting Properties

Grzegorz Dąbrowski et al. Molecules. .

Abstract

Nigella sativa L. (black cumin) is one of the most investigated medicinal plants in recent years. Volatile compounds like thymoquinone and unsaponifiable lipid compounds are crucial functional components of this oil. Unfortunately, the composition of oils and their quality indicators are ambiguous both in terms of identified compounds and value ranges. Thirteen oils were extracted with hexane from black cumin seeds grown in India, Syria, Egypt, and Poland and analyzed for their fatty acid composition, unsaponifiable compound content and volatile compounds. Oils were also subjected to quality tests according to standard methods. The fatty acid composition and sterol content/composition were relatively stable among the tested oils. Tocol content varied in the range of 140-631 mg/kg, and among them, β-tocotrienol and γ-tocopherol prevailed. Oils' volatile compounds were dominated by seven terpenes (p-cymene, α-thujene, α-pinene, β-pinene, thymoquinone, γ-terpinene, and sabinene). The highest contents of these volatiles were determined in samples from Poland and in two of six samples from India. High acid and peroxide values were typical features of N. sativa L. oils. To sum up, future research on the medicinal properties of black cumin oil should always be combined with the analysis of its chemical composition.

Keywords: Nigella sativa L.; black cumin; quality indices; thymoquinone; tocols; volatile compounds.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Results of headspace GC-MS analysis of volatile compounds of N. sativa L. seeds oils (values are expressed as peak area arbitrary units). Extremal data in each row are represented by various colors. The highest and the lowest values are marked by the most red and blue colors, respectively; nd—not detected.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Projection of the cases (A,C) and the variables (B,D) onto the factor plane regarding the quality and composition (A,B) and volatile composition (C,D) of N. sativa L. seed oils.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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