Résumé:
Date pits are another major date palm crops and low grade rejected, used locally in the management of diabetes and
as animal feed ingredient or turned into non-caffeinated coffee by the Arabs although their richness with valuable bioactive
and antioxidant compounds. In this study and for the first time, lipids, fatty acids profiles, total tocopherols and sterols
of nine (9) Algerian date palm cultivars (Phoenix dactylifera L.) seed oil were investigated and their antioxidant activities
were evaluated. Oil yield ranged from 4.86% to 6.7%. Gas liquid chromatography revealed that the oil fraction contained
unsaturated fatty acids in majority with the preponderance of oleic acid (37.83–55.00%) followed by lauric and myristic
acids (6.63–25.36% and 9.30–19.33%) respectively. The study of the unsaponifiable fraction revealed the presence of sterols
and tocopherols. The sterols contents ranged from 4.7 to 8.45 mg/g DW. Whereas, the levels of total tocopherols ranged from
0.32 to 0.74 mg/DW, which -tocopherol was the predominant tocopherol (15.57%–74.1%) followed by ( + )-tocopherol
(25.12%–56.01%). The antioxidant activity of date seeds oil was determined with DPPH radical scavenging assays. The oils
had a moderate bleaching effect on DPPH free radicals, where Ghars (GH), Sbo3 Lossif (SL) and Timjhourt (TIM) seed oils
were the active ones.
The richest of date seed oil by active components such sterols, tocopherols also high amounts of oleic, lauric and other
fatty acids suggest it to be as a useful source of edible oils for human consumption as well as using as additives in food, for
medicinal use, in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and food industries.
