<i>Spondias mombin</i> Seed Oil Compounds Identification by Raman Spectroscopy and NMR

Abstract

Spondias mombin L. has been used in traditional medicine to treat some cases such as infections and inflammations. Some researchers have reported that its biological components, such as carotenoids, carotenes, and phenols, have been characterized primarily by HPLC analysis. Here, we report on the characterization of Spondias mombin L. seed oil by Raman spectroscopy, and the profile identification of fatty acids by 1H-NMR and 13C-NMR spectroscopy. The oil was extracted from different weight volumes of seeds using organic solvent, and each batch was characterized. The analysis of the fatty acid profile by NMR indicated that the seed oil is highly unsaturated (monounsaturated: 29.4% and polyunsaturated: 43.5%). Molecular Raman vibrations at 1006, 1158 and 1523 cm−1 showed the presence of carotenoids, which in turn performed an antioxidant activity. This was demonstrated by a 2,2′-Azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS) method. The cell viability in colon cancer cells was promoted in the presence of the oil. The compounds identified in this study from seed oil could be an interesting proposal for food or pharmaceutical applications.

Keywords

• vegetable oil
• carotenoids
• antioxidant activity
• cytotoxic effect
• fatty acids
• cell viability