Health Effect of Lipid Components Extracted from Avocado Pear (Persea americana) Pulp and Seed

Abstract

Background and Objective: Avocado pears (Persea americana) are tropical fruits. They are very nutritious foods and regular consumption of the fruits has been associated with the reductions of cardiovascular and circulatory diseases. The extracts from fruit pulp and seeds can be used as an alternative dietary supplement. In addition, they have been extensively used in traditional medicine for the treatment of various diseases. This study examines comparatively the levels of fatty acids, phospholipids and phytosterols in the samples of Persea americana pulp and seed. Materials and Methods: The fatty acid, phospholipid and phytosterol compositions were determined from the pulp and seed samples prepared from the fruits of Persea americana using the gas chromatography method. Results: The levels of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids in the pulp and seed samples were: total SFA (33.74 and 22.29%); total UFA (66.27 and 77.71%); PUFA/SFA (0.71 and 1.83%); total EFA (25.50 and 40.51%), respectively. The total phospholipids present in the pulp and seed were 851.47 and 117.30 mg/100 g, respectively. The concentrations of phytosterols were of low values except in sitosterol (373.55 and 37.79 mg/100 g) and stigmasterol (45.61 and 5.59 mg/100 g) for the pulp and seed samples, respectively. Conclusion: The result revealed that the seed sample was richer in EFA and PUFA/SFA ratio compared to that of pulp while the values recorded for phosphatidylserine for the two samples were too low and do not meet USFDA standard.