Fatty acid profile, antioxidant capabilities and Physico-chemical assessment of functional oils from safflower seeds: A potential source in Bangladesh

This study aims to examine the fatty acid content, antioxidant characteristics, and nutritional worth of safflower seed oil as a functional oil source in Bangladesh. Owing to its distinct fatty acid composition, especially its high linoleic acid concentration, safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.), an underutilized Oilseed Plant in the area, offers substantial health benefits. Its stability and nutritional value are improved by its antioxidant capacity, which is influenced by tocopherols and other phenolic compounds. The current study's objective was to examine the safflower oil's various physico-chemical characteristics, as well as its fatty acid composition using GC and total tocopherol using HPLC. The various physico-chemical properties included moisture, density, refractive index, turbidity, peroxide value, iodine value, saponification value, and acid value were determined. The fatty acid profile of safflower oil revealed thirteen different fatty acids, each with a different concentration. Oleic acid (79.32 %) was discovered to be the most abundant monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and linoleic acid (10.19 %) was discovered to be the most abundant polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in unsaturated fatty acids. The tested safflower oil contained 338.66 mg/kg of alpha-tocopherol. The studied oil exhibited a noteworthy antioxidant capacity, and the total phenolic contents was determained.Four bacterial strains (Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi, Bacillus megaterium, and Staphylococcus aureus) were employed to evaluate the antibacterial activity of the safflower oil.