Bioactive phytosterols and fatty acids profile of traditional foods from black sea area countries

Phytosterols (PS) are abundant in foods of plant origin and vegetable oils. These compounds have received particular attention due to their capability to lower serum cholesterol levels, resulting in significant reduction of the risk of heart disease. Also, the consumption of fatty acids (FA) is important because it can be associated with both negative and beneficial health effects, depending on the FA. This work was performed within the collaborative research program Sustainable exploitation of bioactive components from the Black Sea Area traditional foods (BaSeFood), funded by the European Commission. Traditional foods from Black sea region are presently being studied for their potential positive effects on human health, especially focusing on its bioactives compounds. The aim of this study was to analyse the bioactive PS, total fat and FA profile of 33 traditional foods from six Black Sea Area countries. Total fat analysis was performed by means of an acid hydrolysis with Soxhlet extraction (AOAC 948.15, 2000, accredited method according to ISO 17025). Preparation of FA methyl esters was carried out by a combined method of methylation and transesterification. For PS content, preliminary assays were done in order to establish the optimal extraction conditions. Chromatographic analysis was performed with a gas chromatograph equipped with a mass spectrophotometer detector. A HP-88, fused silica capillary column (100 m x 0.25 mm i.d., 0.25 mm) was used for FA determination and DB-5 MS (30 m x 0.25 mm i.d., 0.25 µm) was used for PS analysis. Samples were analyzed in triplicate. The GC-MS method allows separation and identification of more than fifty FA, including some trans-FA and ω3 or ω6 FA. Great variability was found in the total fat content of samples. For instance, rose jam total fat content was 0.02 g, while for roasted sunflower seeds was 58.2 g. Results are given per 100 g of edible portion. A wide range of fatty acids profile was also found.The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement n.º 227118