Phytonutrient concentration and unsaturation of glycerides predict optimal harvest time for Elaeis oleifera 7 E. guineensis palm oil hybrids

Hybrid palm oil has been recently proved to have interesting chemical and nutritional characteristics. However, there is rather limited information on the chemical composition changes of hybrid palm oil during fruit ripening. In this paper we present for the first time a detailed chemical characterization of O\u2009 7\u2009G interspecific hybrid palm oil extracted from fruits of Coari\u2009 7\u2009La M\ue9 cultivar, planted in the region of Llanos Orientales (Colombia) during the last 6\u2009wk of fruit ripening (18\u201324\u2009wk after anthesis [WAA]). It was found that during fruit development a progressive and significant decrease of the saturated fatty acids (SFAs) palmitic and stearic, and a corresponding increase in the relative percentage of the unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs) oleic and linoleic occurred: the SFAs/UFAs ratio decreased from 0.84 to 0.58. Statistically significant changes in triacylglycerol species between 18 and 24 WAA were also observed. On the contrary, total unsaponifiable matter content ranged from 0.87 to 1.05\u2009g/100\u2009g oil sample, without any significant difference due to harvest time. However, a trend of increase in total tocol content was also observed, with a final value at 24 WAA of more than 26\u2009ppm