FATTY ACID CONTENT, PHYSICOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES AND ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF SUPERCRITICAL FLUIDEXTRACTED Chenopodium quinoa Willd and Amaranthus caudatus OILS

Abstract

Vegetable oils have experienced a notable increase in their consumption and the search for new sources of functional oils has intensified because those present active substances with important biological activities that provide health protection and prevent diseases and can be useful both in the food and dermo-cosmetic fields. The objective of this research was to quantify the main fatty acids present in Chenopodium quinoa Willd and Amaranthus caudatus seed oils extracted by supercritical fluids, establish their main physicochemical properties, compare them with those of other commonly used oils, and determine their potential antioxidant activity. It was possible to establish that in both oil samples the content of unsaturated fatty acids is high, 65,73 % and 79,95 % for Amaranthus caudatus and Chenopodium quinoa, respectively. The most abundant fatty acids were linoleic acid at 38,09 %, and 50,99 % and oleic acid at 27,64 %, and 28,96 % for Amaranthus caudatus and Chenopodium quinoa respectively. The physicochemical properties of both oils are very
similar to other commonly used oils and the values of iodine and saponification indices are indicative of their high quality and demonstrate their potential use in both food and dermocosmetic fields. Antioxidant activity using the DPPH method showed an EC50 of 337,92 μg/ mL for Chenopodium quinoa oil and 433,94 μg/mL for Amaranthus caudatus oil.