Quantitative and qualitative assessment of fatty acids of seeds in Armenian cucumber (Cucumis melo var. flexuosus)

Armenian cucumber (Cucumis melo var. flexuosus) is one of the varieties of Cucurbitaceae family that is freshly consumed in Iran, while due to the presence of useful fatty acids and minerals, it can play a special role in the health diet. The aim of this study was to evaluate the quantitative and qualitative of fatty acids in the seeds of Armenian cucumber.

Fruits were harvested in summer of 2018 at a fully ripened stage.The seeds were manually separated from the fruits and dried in roomtemperature. Evaluation of morphological traits was performed in the laboratory of horticulture sciences department. The seed oil extraction was done using Soxhlet apparatus and fatty acids analysis was performed by gas chromatography at Central Research Institute of Islamic Azad University, Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch.

The mean of 100-seed weight was 4.08 g, the mean of seed length and diameter were 12.46 and 4.84 mm, respectively, andthe ratio of kernel to seed shellwas 2.75. The seed oil content was 34.8% and included of 24 kind of different fatty acids. The most important unsaturated fatty acids were linoleic with 51.62% and oleic acid with 28.31% and the most important saturated fatty acids were palmitic and stearic acids with 11.16% and 7.16%, respectively. The sum of unsaturated fatty acids, saturated fatty acids and the ratio of unsaturated to saturated fatty acids were 19.46, 80.54 and 4.13, respectively.

According to the results of this research, America cucumber seeds are rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids that will make them suitable for food, pharmaceutical and industrial applications.