STUDY OF THE FATTY ACIDS OF PUMPKIN, WATERMELON AND BLACK CUMIN OILS IN THE ASTRAKHAN REGION

The increasing demand for high-quality cold-pressed edible vegetable oils is leading to a rise in the number of producers and competition among them. The production of counterfeit products creates unfair advantages for dishonest market participants. Determining the fatty acid composition and calculating their predominant pool in vegetable oils is one of the key criteria for establishing authenticity. The content of individual acids depends on the variety of the raw material, the location and conditions of cultivation, and the method of production, and can therefore be used as part of a comprehensive approach to confirm the product's affiliation with the declared producer and the origin of the raw material. The aim of this work is to determine the fatty acid composition of valuable cold-pressed vegetable oils: pumpkin, watermelon, and black cumin, obtained from raw materials cultivated in the Astrakhan region. The corresponding vegetable raw materials, selected from the growing area with a precisely known geographical reference, were processed to obtain oil through direct pressing. In the obtained oil samples, the fatty acid composition was determined using gas chromatography following the preliminary hydrolysis of glycerides and the production of the corresponding methyl esters of fatty acids. During the conducted research, samples of vegetable oils were obtained through cold direct pressing from raw materials cultivated in the Astrakhan region, linked to a specific locality. For the obtained oils from pumpkin seeds, watermelon, and black cumin, the fatty acid composition was determined, and calculations of the predominant pool and other ratios were performed. The results were analyzed in the context of existing literature data on the acid composition of the corresponding oils produced in various regions of the world. The identification of the fatty acid composition and the calculation of their mass ratios is an important element of a comprehensive procedure for assessing the authenticity of valuable vegetable oils and establishing the origin of the raw material and the producer.