Oils rich in alpha linolenic acid: chemical composition of perilla (Perilla frutescens) seed oil☆

Abstract

In this paper, the main chemical properties of Perilla seed oil (PO) obtained by mechanical pressing of Perilla seeds are reported. The analysis of fatty acid composition has highlighted a very high amount of (n-3) α-linolenic acid (ALA), more than 60%, higher than other ALA rich oils such as linseed and sacha inchi oils and similar to chia oil. PO has an important sterol (higher than 3000 mg/kg) and vitamin E (approx. 870 mg/kg) content, while biophenols are in quite low concentration. The analyzed sample showed a very low acid and peroxide value and this is the demonstration that, following the proper technological procedures, it is possible to obtain high quality oils even in presence of high α-linolenic acid concentrations.

Keywords

• perilla frutescens
• oil composition
• omega 3 fatty acids
• tocopherols