44C-11 |
Phytosterols and fatty acids in fig (Ficus carica, var. Mission) fruit and tree components |
W. S. JEONG and P. A. Lachance. Dept. of Food Science/The Nutraceuticals Institute, Rutgers, The State Univ. of New Jersey, 65 Dudley Rd., New Brunswick, NJ 08901 Figs (Ficus carica) are perhaps the oldest of all cultivated fruit crops and are grown in many areas of the world with subtropical climates. In 1990, about 46,000 short tons of figs were produced in the USA. About 90 % of the fig crop is utilized as dried figs. The Mission variety of fig is one of the 3 major types of dried figs available in the United States. Significant amounts of fig tree branches are often pruned during harvesting and may contain nutraceuticals that have health benefits. Phytosterols are known to lower serum cholesterol levels in animals and humans. Recent reports claim that phytosterols have effects in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia, rheumatoid arthritis, allergies and stress-related illness, and inhibit the development of colon cancer. The objective of our research was to study the phytosterol composition in unsaponifiables of fig (Ficus carica, var. Mission) fruit and three structural components of the branches; and the fatty acid composition of fig fruits using gas chromatography and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. The phytosterols were determined from the trimethyl silyl ether derivatives of the unsaponifiable samples. Fourteen compounds were separated in fig fruit, and 13, 10 and 6 in bark, stem and pith, respectively. Sitosterol was the most predominant sterol in all parts. Also detected were campesterol, stigmasterol and fucosterol. Fatty acids in fig fruit, determined as their methyl esters, were myristic (14:0), palmitic (16:0), stearic (18:0), oleic (18:1), linoleic (18:2) and linolenic (18:3) acids. These results indicate that prunings of the branches of fig tree, now regarded as waste products, might serve as a good source of phytosterols, the processing of which would need a study for economic feasibility.
Session 44C, Fruit & Vegetable Products: Chemistry
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