Analysis of Volatile Compounds and Triglycerides of Seed Oils Extracted from Different Poppy Varieties (Papaver somniferum L.)

Poppy seed oil (Oleum Papaveris Seminis) is used for culinary and pharmaceutical purposes, as well as for making soaps, paints, and varnishes. Astonishingly, hardly anything was yet known about the volatile compounds of this promising comestible. Likewise, there are no current published data about the triglyceride (TAG) composition of poppy seed oils available. In this investigation solid-phase microextraction (SPME) with DVB/Carboxen/PDMS Stable-Flex fiber was applied to the study of volatile compounds of several seed oil samples from Papaver somniferum L. (Papaveraceae). 1-Pentanol (3.3−4.9%), 1-hexanal (10.9−30.9%), 1-hexanol (5.3−33.7%), 2-pentylfuran (7.2−10.0%), and caproic acid (2.9−11.5%) could be identified as the main volatile compounds in all examined poppy seed oil samples. Furthermore, the TAG composition of these oils was analyzed by MALDI-ReTOF- and ESI-IT-MS/MS. The predominant TAG components were found to be composed of linoleic, oleic, and palmitic acid, comprising ∼70% of the oils. TAG patterns of the different poppy varieties were found to be very homogeneous, showing also no significant differences in terms of the applied pressing method of the plant seeds. Keywords: Papaver somniferum; poppy seed oil; volatile compounds; SPME headspace; sensory analysis; mass spectrometry; triglyceride analysis