Key message

Correlations were observed between Balanites aegyptiaca fruit morphology and kernel oil yield and quality, thus suggesting the possibility of selecting trees with smaller fruits and lower pulp/seed ratio for edible oil production.

Abstract

Phenotypic variations in fruit morphology (length, diameter, total fruit weight, anatomical part weight percentages) and kernel chemical traits (gross composition, amino acid content, fatty acid composition of kernel oil) were assessed in a natural population of Balanites aegyptiaca (L.) Del. grown in the South-East of Sudan, with the main aim of highlighting the potential of B. aegyptiaca kernel for edible oil production. Mature fruits were randomly collected from eight trees, representative of eight distinct categories for shape (length/diameter ratio) and size (weight). Significant tree-to-tree differences in fruit morphology and kernel composition have been registered. The smallest fruits were characterised by the highest kernel contribution to the whole fruit weight, while the largest fruits showed the smallest seeds. The highest oleic/linoleic acid ratio in kernel oil fatty acids was found in fruits characterized by the lowest pulp percentage; the maximum oil yield (highest kernel percentage and kernel oil percentage) was associated to the highest levels of polyphenolic antioxidants and the highest radical scavenging activity of kernel tissues. Experimental data suggested the possibility of selecting trees with large fruits and high pulp/seed ratio, suitable for direct consumption as human food, and trees with smaller fruits and lower pulp/seed ratio for oil production.

中文翻译：

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苏丹生长的Balanites aegyptiaca（L.）Del。种群的果实和果仁中树间差异

关键信息

观察到Balanites aegyptiaca果实的形态与籽粒油的产量和品质之间存在相关性，从而表明可以选择果实较小，果肉/种子比较低的树木来生产食用油。

抽象

在Balanites aegyptiaca的自然种群中评估了果实形态（长度，直径，总果实重量，解剖部分重量百分比）和果仁化学性状（表型的总组成，氨基酸含量，脂肪酸组成）的表型变异。 ）位于苏丹东南部的Del。主要目的是突出埃及古猿B. aegyptiaca的潜力用于食用油生产的核心。从八棵树中随机收集成熟果实，代表八种不同的形状，长度（直径/直径比）和大小（重量）类别。树木形态和果粒组成之间的显着树种差异已得到记录。最小的果实的特征是最大的籽粒对整个果实重量的贡献最大，而最大的果实则显示出最小的种子。结果发现，果仁脂肪酸中油酸/亚油酸比例最高，其果肉百分比最低。最大的油产量（最高的籽粒百分数和籽粒油百分数）与多酚类抗氧化剂的最高含量和最高的籽粒组织自由基清除活性有关。