Quantification of Fatty Acid, Tocopherol and Sterol Contents in Capparis spp. Seed Oils

The oil yields of caperberry seeds vary from 29.20% (C. spinosa var. herbaceae) to 35.02% (C. spinosa var. inermis). The proportion of linoleic acid in the seed oil of C. ovata var. palastina was higher (43.8%) than that in the seed oil of other capers. Oleic acid contents of caper seed oil varied between 18.5% (C. spinosa var. herbaceae) and 20.9% (C. spinosa var. aegyptia). The major tocopherol was gamma-tocopherol in all the varieties of caper seed oil, which was higher in C. spinosa var. inermis (161.3 mg/100 g) than in C. spinosa var. herbaceae (85.8 mg/Kg) (p < 0.05). The major sterol was beta-stosterin in all the varieties of caperberry seed oils, and were found between 3241.4 mg/kg (C. spinosa var. inermis) and 5298.1 mg/kg (C. spinosa var. herbaceae), but there was significant difference (p < 0.05). The contents of stigmasterin in seed oil changed between 675.7 mg/kg (C. spinosa var. inermis) and 749.0 mg/kg (C. spinosa var. herbacea).