Chair of Plant Food Chemistry and Processing, Faculty of Food Sciences, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Pl. Cieszyński 1, 10-726 Olsztyn, Poland.
Molecules. 2024 Mar 19;29(6):1360. doi: 10.3390/molecules29061360.
L. (black cumin) is one of the most investigated medicinal plants in recent years. Volatile compounds like thymoquinone and unsaponifiable lipid compounds are crucial functional components of this oil. Unfortunately, the composition of oils and their quality indicators are ambiguous both in terms of identified compounds and value ranges. Thirteen oils were extracted with hexane from black cumin seeds grown in India, Syria, Egypt, and Poland and analyzed for their fatty acid composition, unsaponifiable compound content and volatile compounds. Oils were also subjected to quality tests according to standard methods. The fatty acid composition and sterol content/composition were relatively stable among the tested oils. Tocol content varied in the range of 140-631 mg/kg, and among them, β-tocotrienol and γ-tocopherol prevailed. Oils' volatile compounds were dominated by seven terpenes (p-cymene, α-thujene, α-pinene, β-pinene, thymoquinone, γ-terpinene, and sabinene). The highest contents of these volatiles were determined in samples from Poland and in two of six samples from India. High acid and peroxide values were typical features of L. oils. To sum up, future research on the medicinal properties of black cumin oil should always be combined with the analysis of its chemical composition.
黑孜然（L.）是近年来研究最多的药用植物之一。其挥发性化合物，如 1,8-桉叶素和不可皂化脂质化合物，是该油的关键功能成分。不幸的是，油的组成及其质量指标在已鉴定化合物和值范围方面都存在模糊性。从印度、叙利亚、埃及和波兰种植的黑孜然种子中用己烷提取了 13 种油，并对其脂肪酸组成、不可皂化化合物含量和挥发性化合物进行了分析。还根据标准方法对油进行了质量测试。测试油的脂肪酸组成和甾醇含量/组成相对稳定。生育酚含量在 140-631mg/kg 范围内变化，其中β-生育三烯酚和γ-生育酚占优势。油的挥发性化合物主要由七种萜烯（对伞花烃、α-蒎烯、α-松油烯、β-蒎烯、1,8-桉叶素、γ-松油烯和柠檬烯）组成。这些挥发物的含量在波兰的样品和印度的 6 个样品中的 2 个中最高。高酸值和过氧化物值是黑孜然油的典型特征。总之，对黑孜然油药用特性的未来研究应始终与对其化学成分的分析相结合。
