Abstract

Oil extraction from seeds of purple viper's bugloss (Echium plantagineum) was carried out using different solvents (chloroform:methanol, n-hexane, ethanol, 2-propanol and ethyl acetate) at room temperature and also using Randall extraction. Extraction yields were calculated and oils were analyzed in terms of fatty acid profiles and distribution among lipid classes, total polyphenol content, oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) and phytosterol content. No considerable differences were found on fatty acid profiles and distribution in oils regardless of the solvent and temperature used for the extraction. However, ethanol combined with Randall extraction (85 degrees C for 1 hour) offered the best results in terms of total polyphenol content (20.9 mg GAE/100 g oil), ORAC (468.0 mu mol TE/100 g oil), and phytosterol amount (437.2 mg identified phytosterols/100 g oil) among all assayed extraction methods. A higher extraction temperature led to significantly higher concentrations of bioactive compounds and ORAC values in the oil when ethanol or 2-propanol were used as extracting solvent, but that was not the case using n-hexane except for the concentrations of beta-sitosterol and stigmasterol, which were significantly higher using Randall extraction than room temperature extraction with n-hexane. Ethanol is classified as a "green solvent," and it could be considered a suitable option to produce oil from E. plantagineum seeds with a higher antioxidant capacity and bioactive compound concentration than the current commercial oil, which is usually extracted with n-hexane.