Comparison of Fatty Acid Profile and Quality Properties of Commercial Apricot (Prunus Armeniaca) Kernel Oils

Prunus armeniaca L. known as apricot, is one of the important export products of Turkey and its kernel oil has become widely popular in different fields such as food pharmacy, aromatherapy and cosmetics industry. Apricot oil obtained from the kernels of apricots is characterized by high contents of oil, fiber, various minerals, proteins, vitamins and phenolics with health-improving effects. The aim of this study was to compare the fatty acid composition and some quality properties of 10 different kinds of apricot kernel oils produced by the different brands. The lowest value of free fatty acid with 0.30 % was determined in the A5 sample. The antioxidant activity results of A1 brand apricot oil sample were found similar to A4 brand apricot oil (P>0.05). In the results of the total phenolic content was lowest in A5 sample with 101.17 mg GAE/100g. The results of the highest antioxidant activity and total phenolic content were determined in the sample A3. The common major fatty acids in the analyzed oil samples were determined as oleic acid, linoleic acid, palmitic acid and stearic acid. Oleic acid was determined as the main unsaturated fatty acid component for all oil types except the A1 sample.