TY - JOUR T1 - Nutritional and Bioactive Composition of Apricot Kernel: Fatty Acids, Tocopherols, and Phenolics TT - Kayısı Çekirdeğinin Besinsel ve Biyoaktif Bileşimi: Yağ Asitleri, Tokoferoller, Fenolikler AU - Turan, Semra AU - Günal Köroğlu, Deniz AU - Topcu, Ali PY - 2025 DA - October Y2 - 2025 JF - ITU Journal of Food Science and Technology PB - İstanbul Teknik Üniversitesi WT - DergiPark SN - 3023-7327 SP - 91 EP - 98 VL - 3 IS - 2 LA - en AB - The present study investigated the proximate composition, mineral profile, sugar and organic acid contents, phenolic compounds, and lipid fraction of apricot kernels. The kernels contained 3.00% moisture, 2.71% ash, 20.26% crude protein, 20.95% dietary fiber, and 51.60% crude oil, indicating their potential as a rich source of nutrients. Mineral analysis revealed high levels of potassium, phosphorus, and magnesium, alongside trace elements, while toxic heavy metals were below detection limits. The sugar profile was dominated by sucrose (41.02 mg/g), with glucose, fructose, and sorbitol also present. Malic (15.09 mg/g) and citric acids (8.97 mg/g) were the main organic acids, while significant amounts of vitamin C, and B-complex vitamins, were detected. HPLC analysis identified phenolic acids including protocatechuic, caffeic, p-coumaric, and ferulic acids. The lipid fraction was rich in unsaturated fatty acids, primarily oleic (61.43%) and linoleic acids (34.77%), with low saturated fatty acids. Tocopherol analysis showed γ-tocopherol as predominant (432.17 mg/kg), supporting the antioxidant value of the oil. Overall, apricot kernels represent a valuable source of lipids, proteins, micronutrients, and bioactive compounds with nutritional and functional potential. KW - Functional food KW - fatty acid KW - tocopherols KW - phenolic compounds KW - organic acid N2 - Bu çalışmada kayısı çekirdeklerinin temel bileşimi, mineral profili, şeker ve organik asit içerikleri, fenolik bileşenler ve lipid fraksiyonu incelenmiştir. Çekirdekler %3,00 nem, %2,71 kül, %20,26 ham protein, %20,95 diyet lifi ve %51,60 ham yağ içermekte olup, besin açısından zengin bir kaynak olma potansiyelini göstermektedir. Mineral analizinde potasyum, fosfor ve magnezyum yüksek düzeyde bulunmuş, eser elementler tespit edilmiş, toksik ağır metaller ise ölçüm sınırının altında kalmıştır. Şeker profilinde sukroz (41,02 mg/g) baskın olup, glikoz, fruktoz ve sorbitol de belirlenmiştir. Malik asit (15,09 mg/g) ve sitrik asit (8,97 mg/g) başlıca organik asitler olarak öne çıkmıştır; ayrıca kayısı çekirdeklerinde kayda değer miktarda C vitamini ve B grubu vitaminler de tespit edilmiştir. HPLC analizi, protokateşik, kafeik, p-kumarik ve ferulik asitler gibi fenolik asitlerin varlığını ortaya koymuştur. Lipid fraksiyonu, özellikle oleik (%61,43) ve linoleik asitler (%34,77) açısından zengin, doymuş yağ asitleri ise düşük seviyededir. Tokoferol analizleri, γ-tokoferolün baskın olduğunu (432,17 mg/kg) göstermiş ve yağın antioksidan değerini desteklemektedir. Genel olarak, kayısı çekirdekleri lipidler, proteinler, mikro besinler ve biyoaktif bileşenler açısından değerli bir kaynak olup, beslenme ve fonksiyonel gıda uygulamaları için yüksek potansiyele sahiptir. CR - Aamazadeh, F., Barar, J., Rahbar Saadat, Y., & Ostadrahimi, A. (2022). In vitro evaluation of cytotoxic and apoptotic activities of ethanolic extract of sweet apricot kernel on PANC-1 pancreatic cancer cells. Nutrition & Food Science, 52(1), 12–25. https://doi.org/10.1108/NFS-11-2020-0452 CR - Akbarbaglu, Z., Mohammadi, M., Arefi, A., Laein, S. S., Sarabandi, K., Peighambardoust, S. H., & Hesarinejad, M. A. 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