Abstract
Oils present in nuts and seeds are important nutritional constituents with beneficial health claims. These oils contain mainly fatty acyls in lipid classes and phytosterols, therefore we analyzed profiles of these lipid classes in several nuts, seeds and kernel commonly available in the Czech Republic.
Nuts and seeds contained predominantly oleic (18:1n-9) and linoleic (18:2n-6) acids, rich sources of α-linoleic acid (18:3n-3) were linseed, chestnut, walnuts and hempseed, the last being the best source of stearidonic acid (18:4n-3). The phytosterol analyses revealed majority of β-sitosterol and campesterol except for pumpkin and melon seeds, rich in 7 sterols.
In summary, our study revealed the wide profile of fatty acids and phytosterols between different nuts and seeds. Further studies are needed to confirm the positive effect of each nut and seeds for health.