Determination of physicochemical and bioactive properties of some fruit (Prunus spinosa, prunus cerasus, prunus avium) kernel oils

In this research, moisture content, free fatty acidity, peroxide value, saponification number, Iodine number, color property, viscosity value, total phenolic content, antioxidant capacity, mineral composition, fatty acid composition, sterol composition, aroma profile, phenolic component content and tocopherol concentration of oil obtained by cold press method from wild plum, sour cherry and sweet cherry kernels grown especially in Afyonkarahisar have been tried to be determined. The moisture contents of kernel oils were determined between 0.09 and 0.15. Free fatty acidity of oils varied between 0.129 and 6.60 %. The peroxide values of oils were determined between 1.19 and 1.70 (milliequivalent O2/kg) while the saponification numbers are found between 188.6 – 193.7 (mg KOH/g), the Iodine numbers changed between 94.34 and 106.86. In addition, red color values of wild plum, sour cherry and sweet cherry kernel oils were determined as 1.4, 6.0 and 1.9 while yellow color of oil samples are found as 28.0, 70.0 and 70.0, respectively. The viscosity values of oil samples were determined as 0.054 (Pa.s) (wild plum kernel oil), 0.057 (Pa.s) (sour cherry and sweet cherry kernel oil). Total phenolic content changed between 22.17 and 33.65 mg GAE/g extract while antioxidant capacity range from 1.05 to 1.86 mmol TE/g extract. Ca (616 µg/g) was detected as the highest mineral in wild plum kernel oil while Fe (860 µg/g) was the highest in sour cherry kernel oil and K (63 µg/g) was the highest in sweet cherry kernel oil. Oleic (72.72 %) and linoleic acids (42.42 % and 39.45 %) were the key fatty acids of wild plum, sour cherry and sweet cherry kernel oils, respectively. In terms of sterol composition, β – sitosterols (2509.93 – 6018.27 ppm) were found at highest levels in all kernel oils. When examined in terms of aroma profile, benzaldehyde (67.49 – 91.69) was found to be the most common in all kernel oils. Vanillin (4.70 ppm) was established as the major phenolic component in wild plum kernel oil while benzoic acid (79.7 and 58.8 ppm) was found as the most constituent in sour cherry and sweet cherry kernel oils, respectively. Total tocopherol concentrations of samples ranged from 184.48 to 728.86 ppm. As a result, it has been revealed that the kernels of these fruits which are abundant as fruit juice industrial waste can be processed into vegetable oil and used as a source of edible oil.