Fatty Acid Profile, Tocopherol Content of Seed Oil, and Nutritional Analysis of Seed Cake of Wood Apple (Limonia acidissima L.), an Underutilized Fruit-Yielding Tree Species

The present study was aimed at analyzing the fatty acid composition, tocopherols, and
physico-chemical characterization of wood apple (Limonia acidissima L.) seed oil and the nutritional
profile of seed cake. The fatty acids in seed oil were analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spec-
trometry (GC-MS), and the total seed oil was 32.02 ± 0.08%, comprising oleic (21.56 ± 0.57%),
alpha-linolenic (16.28 ± 0.29%), and linoleic acid (10.02 ± 0.43%), whereas saturated fatty acid con-
tent was 33.38 ± 0.60% including palmitic (17.68 ± 0.65%) and stearic acid (14.15 ± 0.27%). A greater
amount of unsaturated fatty acids (52.37%) were noticed compared to saturated fatty acids (33.38%);
hence the seed is highly suitable for nutritional and industrial applications. Gamma-tocopherol was
present in a higher quantity (39.27 ± 0.07 mg/100 g) as compared to alpha (12.64 ± 0.01 mg/100 g)
and delta (3.77 ± 0.00 mg/100 g) tocopherols, which are considered as natural antioxidants. The
spectrophotometric technique was used for quantitative analysis of total phenolic content, and it
revealed 135.42 ± 1.47 mg gallic acid equivalent /100 g DW in seed cake. All the results of the studied
seed oil and cake showed a good source of natural functional ingredients for several health benefits.