Bioactive Lipid Compounds and Nutritional Potential of Glyceride Oils from Flower Buds and Fruits of Lagerstroemia indica L. Cultivar ‘Hopi’ Grown in Bulgaria

This study explored the bioactive lipid compounds and assessed the nutritional potential of glyceride oils extracted from flower buds and fruits of <i>Lagerstroemia indica</i> L. cultivar 'Hopi' grown in Bulgaria. The study focused on chemical composition, fatty acid composition, and the content of biologically active compounds of the oils. The results indicated relatively higher levels of glyceride oil in fruits (F), 14.8%, compared to flower buds (FB), 3.3%. A similar trend was observed for protein content-15.7% (F) vs. 8.7% (FB). Total sterol and phospholipid content was higher in the FB than in the F. The primary components of sterol composition were β-sitosterol and campesterol. The main individual phospholipid classes were phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidylcholine in both oils. Linoleic acid was the predominant component (77.3% in the oil from the FB vs. 86.0% in the oil from the F), followed by comparable quantities of oleic acid. Palmitic acid was the main saturated fatty acid. To evaluate the therapeutic effect of isolated glyceride oils, the following indices were measured: index of atherogenicity, thrombogenicity, and hypocholesterolemic/hypercholesterolemic ratio. The study sought to compare the levels of glyceride oil, protein content, total sterol and phospholipid content, and to identify the main components of fatty acids, sterols, and phospholipids in the flower buds and fruits and their oils of <i>L. indica</i> cultivar 'Hopi'.