Dried red currant seeds
Dried red currant seeds
Selected red currant seeds are the main raw material for obtaining oil, which is used in the food and pharmaceutical industries. The oil has a delicate aroma and taste typical of red currant. Thanks to the “cold pressing” method, the fatty acids and vitamins contained in this oil remain intact.
Red currant seeds are the most important by-product of juice production. They contain an average of 17.5% protein and 9.0% fat, 41.4% saccharides, 1.5% ash.
Red currant cake can be used as a food supplement for ornamental birds, companion animals and reproductive animals.
Red currant seed oil can be a good source of unsaturated fatty acids and tocopherols, especially α-tocopherol. Red currant seed oil is obtained from the seeds of Ribes rubrum L. It has a dark red color and a fruity aroma. Red currant seed oil contains many desirable fatty acids, such as α-linolenic acid, γ-linolenic acid, and stearic acid. It contains two unique fatty acids: GLA and SDA. It can be used in skin care products for all skin types. It has anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic, and healing properties. It helps protect against the sun. It also contains phytosterols, known for their anti-atherosclerotic and anti-cancer effects (Table 4). Red currant seed extracts are also a good source of desirable biologically active ingredients, such as phenolic compounds and polysaccharides, mainly galactans.
Table 1. Fatty acid composition in red currant seed oil (g/100g)
Fatty acids | Red currant seed oil (raw) |
C 16:0 C 16:1 C 18:0 C 18:1 n-9 C 18:2 n-6 C γ18:3 n-6 C 18:3 C 18:4 C 20:0 C 20:1 C 20:2 C22:0 | 6,86 0,11 1,31 9,59 43,8 9,16 125,00 4,56 0,15 0,68 0,30 0,10 |
Table 3. Phytosterol content (%) in red currant seed oil
Phytosterols | Red currant seed oil |
Campesterol | 10,0 |
Stigmasterol | 0,25 |
Β-Sitosterol | 86,5 |
Sitostanol | 0,52 |
Avenasterol | 0,34 |
Table 2. Content of tocols (tocopherols and tocotrienols) in red currant seed oil
Tocopherols (mg/100 g): | Red currant seed oil | |
α-tocopherol | 3,08±0,01 | |
| 0,58±0,05 | |
γ- tokoferol | 33,24±0,43 | |
δ- tokoferol | 19,60±0,06 | |
Tokotrienole (mg/100 g): | ||
α-tokotrienol | 0,11±0,04 | |
ß- tocotrienol | 0,30±0,01 | |
γ-tocopherol | 0,15±0,03 | |
δ- tocotrienol | 0,05±0,02 |