Fatty acid composition and tocopherol profiles of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) seed oils.

The oil contents of safflower seeds ranged from 23.08% to 36.51%. The major fatty acid of safflower oil is linoleic acid, which accounted for 55.1-77.0% in oils, with a mean value of 70.66%. Three types of tocopherols were found in safflower oil in various amount α-tocopherol, β-tocopherol and γ-tocopherol, ranged from 46.05 to 70.93 mg/100 g, 0.85 to 2.16 mg/100 g and trace amount to 0.45 mg/100 g oils, respectively. This research shows that both fatty acid and tocopherol contents differ significantly among the safflowers.