Chromatographic Analysis of Silybum Marianum (L.) Gaertn. Fatty Oil

The present paper describes biochemical (fatty oil) composition of Silybummarianum (L.) Gaertn. of Moldovan origin. The oil content of the seeds was approximately 25%. Linoleic acid (C18:2), an essential polyunsaturated fatty acid, is the most abundant (48.88%), followed by monounsaturated oleic acid (C18:1, 31.94%) and saturated palmitic acid (C16:0, 7.61%). The RP-HPLC analysis of tocopherols composition, showed as main components α-tocopherol (23.45 mg/100g) and γ–tocopherol (5.60 mg/100g). Based on the obtained results, it was shown that the extracted oil from milk thistle seeds is rich in essential fatty acids (about 50%) and tocopherols (29.09 mg/100g) and it can be used in food preparation