Abstract
The oil contents of seeds from paprika (Capsicum annuum L.) collected from different locations in Turkey and Italy varied in a relatively wide range from 8.5 g/100 g to 32.6 g/100 g. The fatty acid, tocopherol and sterol contents of the oils from different paprika seeds were investigated. The main fatty acids in paprika seed oils were linoleic acid (69.5-74.7 g/100 g), oleic acid (8.9-12.5 g/100 g) and palmitic acid (10.7-14.2 g/100 g). The oils contained an appreciable amount of gamma-tocopherol (306.6-602.6 mg/kg), followed by alpha-tocopherol (7.3-148.7 mg/kg). The major sterols were beta-sitosterol (1571.4-4061.7 mg/kg), campesterol (490.8-1182.7 mg/kg), and Delta(5)-avenasterol (374.5-899.6 mg/kg). The total concentration of sterols ranged from 3134.0 mg/kg to 7233.7 mg/kg. Remarkable amounts of cholesterol were found in the different samples (164.6-491.0 mg/kg). The present study showed that paprika seeds are a potential source of valuable oil that could be used for edible and industrial applications.