Determination of fatty acid composition in arils of 20 pomegranates cultivars grown in Spain

The present study was conducted to determine the fatty acids composition of Spanish pomegranate arils by gas chromatography. Nine fatty acids were identified and quantified in 20 different pomegranate cultivars. The predominant fatty acids were punicic, conjugated linolenic acid (C18:3), oleic (C18:1), linoleic (C18:2), palmitic (C16:0), arachidic (C20:0), and stearic (C18:0). The most abundant fatty acid was punicic acid (cis-9, trans-11, cis-13), characteristic from pomegranate seeds, with concentration ranging from 2509 to 7538 mg per 100 g dried arils; this range was equivalent in terms of percentage of total fatty acid profile, to 59.7-74.3%. The saturated and polyunsaturated acids contents ranged from 3.02 to 6.65% and from 88.1 to 91.7%, respectively. The saturated/unsaturated acid ratio (SFA/UFA) ranged from 0.03 to 0.07. Spanish pomegranate fruits, especially sweet cultivars, could be a good source of essential fatty acids such as punicic and conjugated linolenic acids, increasing the health benefits and nutritional potential.