March 18/Food Business Week -- "Selected berry seed oils from blackberry, blueberry, cranberry, strawberry, red raspberry and kiwi were characterized for their quality and nutritional characteristics. These oils are by-products of berry juice production that have only recently gained commercial interest," investigators in Ghent, Belgium report.

"Free fatty acid content was below 1.6% for all examined oil samples. Peroxide value ranged between 0.6 and 44mg O-2/kg oil for blackberry and kiwi seed oils, respectively, and p-anisidine value varied from 6 in cranberry to 23 in strawberry. Linolenic acid content ranged from 17.53% in blackberry seed oil to 57.60% in kiwi seed oil. The oxidative stability of all oils was rather low (0.17 hours for kiwi to 8.4 hours for blackberry at 97.8C). Phytosterol contents ranged between 403 and 692mg/100g for blackberry and cranberry, respectively," wrote V. Vanhoed and colleagues, University of Ghent.

The researchers concluded, "The content of tocols (tocopherol + tocotrienol) varied from 34.4 for kiwi to 2,133mg/kg for red raspberry seed oils."

Vanhoed and colleagues published their study in the Journal of Food Lipids ("BERRY SEEDS: A SOURCE OF SPECIALTY OILS WITH HIGH CONTENT OF BIOACTIVES AND NUTRITIONAL VALUE." Journal of Food Lipids, 2009;16(1):33-49).

For additional information, contact V. Vanhoed, University of Ghent, Dept. of Organ Chemical, Coupure Links 653, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium.

From the March 30, 2009, Prepared Foods E-dition