Genotype and Environment Effects on Phytosterol and Tocopherol Contents in Almond Kernel Oil

The phytosterol and tocopherol contents of almond kernel oil were evaluated in three almond cultivars, including the Spanish cultivar ‘Marcona’ and the French cultivars ‘Ferragnès’ and ‘Ferraduel’, grown under two different agro-climatic conditions, Zaragoza (Spain) and Meknès (Morocco). The analysis of variance showed significant effects of the genotype on kernel phytosterol content, Δ5-Avenasterol, Δ7-Campesterol, Stigmasterol and on the three tocopherol isomers. The location effect was significant on oil and kernel phytosterol contents, β-sitosterol,Δ5-avenasterol, Δ7-stigmastenol, Δ7-campesterol and α- and γ-tocopherol. The highest value of kernel and oil phytosterol contents were observed at Meknès (1.48 g kg−1 and 2.54 g kg−1, respectively), as compared to those obtained at Zaragoza (1.31 g kg−1 and 2.54 g kg−1, respectively).The highest values ofβ-sitosterol and Δ5-avenasterol were obtained at the Zaragoza location (81.93% and 10.55% of total phytosterols, respectively).The highest value of α-tocopherol was observed in the Morocco location (496 mg kg−1 oil). These results indicate that under warm climate conditions in Morocco, the almond cultivars tend to accumulate more phytosterol and tocopherol. However, the significance of the genotype × location interaction on the phytosterol and tocopherol contentindicates that the magnitude of variation in these traits mainly depends on the genotype.