Carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals of Camelina sativa seed

Production of oil from Camelina sativa seed (CS) by pressing yields a by‐product in the form of press cakes (PC). The PC were traditionally used as ingredient in fodder for animals. This paper aims to estimate the nutritional value of CS and PC with regard to exploitation in human nutrition.

Seed samples for analyses were collected from remote locations in Europe and in Scandinavia. The analyses of CS for the content of carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals were carried out using advanced analytical technology. With few exceptions, standard analytical methods were used.

The analyses quantified the content of carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals of CS. The mean content of glucose was 0.42 per cent, fructose 0.04 per cent, sucrose 5.5 per cent, raffinose 0.64 per cent, stachyose 0.36 per cent, starch 1.21 per cent, pectin 0.96 per cent, mucilage 6.7 per cent, crude fibre 12.8 per cent and lignin was 7.4 per cent. The analyses for vitamins were restricted to water soluble vitamins of B series. The content of thiamin (B1) was 18.8  μg/g, riboflavin (B2) 4.4  μg/g, niacin (B3) 194  μg/g, pantothenic acid (B5) 11.3  μg/g, pyridoxine (B6) 1.9  μg/g, biotin (B7) 1.0  μg/g and folate (B9) 3.2  μg/g. Analyses for selected minerals disclosed the content of calcium (Ca) 1.0 per cent, magnesium (Mg) 0.51 per cent, sodium (Na) 0.06 per cent, potassium (K) 1.6 per cent, chlorine (Cl) 0.04 per cent, phosphorus (P) 1.4 per cent, sulphur (S) 0.24 per cent, iron (Fe) 329  μg/g, copper (Cu) 9.9  μg/g, manganese (Mn) 40  μg/g, nickel (Ni) 1.9  μg/g and zinc (Zn) 69  μg/g.

The available scientific documentation does not provide information concerning analyses of CS for the content of carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. The present investigation reveals the quantitative contribution of these substances to the total nutritional value of CS. Chemical characteristics and the role of the respective substances in metabolism are briefly reviewed.