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ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #157620
Title: PHYTOSTEROL COMPOSITION OF HYBRID HIBISCUS SEED OILS

Author
item Holser, Ronald
item BOST, GEORGIA - VILLAGE BOTANICA
item VAN BOVEN, MAURITS - LAB. TOXICOLOGY, FOOD CHM

Submitted to: Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/2/2004
Publication Date: 5/5/2004
Citation: Holser, R.A., Bost, G., Van Boven, M. 2004. Phytosterol composition of hybrid hibiscus seed oils. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 52(9):2546-2548.

Interpretive Summary: Hibiscus varieties are cultivated as ornamental plants because they produce large colorful flowers. The seeds of the hibiscus plants are not used by growers to generate more plants but contain small amounts of chemicals that have medicinal properties. Seeds from several varieties of hibiscus were analyzed and found to contain a relatively constant amount of one group of such chemicals. These results are important to growers and consumers because these chemicals are known to reduce blood pressure in humans. The seeds may be harvested to recover these chemicals and used to prepare healthy foods.

Technical Abstract: The seed oils from fifteen hybrid Hibiscus varieties were analyzed by GC-MS to characterize the desmethyl sterol content. Sterol structures were identified as the corresponding trimethyl silyl ether derivatives obtained from the unsaponifiable fraction of the seed oils. This material contained an average of 32 wt% sterols and exhibited a relative composition of ß-sitosterol, 76.3%; campesterol, 10.3%; stigmasterol, 7.3%, delta^5-avenasterol, 4.4%; and cholesterol, 0.6%. The content of delta^5-avenasterol showed significant variation with a range of 1.2-5.8%. These results were similar to those obtained for the native species from which the hybrids were developed.