Fatty acids, tocopherols and proanthocyanidins in bramble seeds

Studies were conducted on the fatty acids, tocopherols and proanthocyanidins in the seeds of 10 bramble varieties from China. The oil yields from these seeds vary from 4.81% to 15.72%. The main fatty acids in bramble seed oils are C18:2 n-6 (51.0-66.1%), C18:3 n-3 (9.70-35.6%), C18:1 n-9 (9.85-16.3%), and C16:0 (2.01-5.73%). The major tocopherol in all seed oils of 10 varieties was γ-tocopherol. The composition (mg/100 g) was as follows: α-tocopherol 7.65-52.6, γ-tocopherol 46.9-106, δ-tocopherol 3.1-9.50, and the active vitamin E 15.9-61.5 among the varieties. The total proanthocyanidin content varies from 6.81 to 17.6 mg/g. The main oligomers in total proanthocyanidins are dimers, and the least are trimers. The contents and composite proportions of fatty acids, tocopherols and proanthocyanidins are different according the varieties, which should be taken into account when the bramble seeds are exploited.