title: Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.: a rich source of lipophilic phytochemicals.
abstract: The lipophilic extracts from the storage root of 13 cultivars of sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.) were evaluated by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry with the aim to valorize them and offer information on their nutritional properties and potential health benefits. The amount of lipophilic extractives ranged from 0.87 to 1.32% dry weight. Fatty acids and sterols were the major families of compounds identified. The most abundant saturated and unsaturated fatty acids were hexadecanoic acid (182-428 mg/kg) and octadeca-9,12-dienoic acid (133-554 mg/kg), respectively. β-Sitosterol was the principal phytosterol, representing 55.2-77.6% of this family, followed by campesterol. Long-chain aliphatic alcohols and α-tocopherol were also detected but in smaller amounts. The results suggest that sweet potato should be considered as an important dietary source of lipophilic phytochemicals.
authors.affiliation: Competence Centre in Exact Science and Engineering and ‡Competence Centre of Life Sciences, University of Madeira , 9000-390 Funchal, Portugal.
authors.forename: Nereida
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Cordeiro
authors.forename: Nélia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Freitas
authors.forename: Marisa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Faria
authors.forename: Manuela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gouveia
mesh_terms: D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000032:analysis; D027723:Ipomoea batatas / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000145:classification; D009753:Nutritive Value; D064209:Phytochemicals / Q000032:analysis*; D010840:Phytosterols / Q000032:analysis; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000032:analysis*; D024502:alpha-Tocopherol / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D005227:Fatty Acids; D064209:Phytochemicals; D010840:Phytosterols; D010936:Plant Extracts; D024502:alpha-Tocopherol