Lipid Profile of Four Parts (Roots, Stem, Leaves, and Seeds) of Cannabis sativa Grown in Nigeria: Part I

Cannabis sativa L. has been cultivated throughout recorded history. The plant is used as a source of industrial fibre, oil, food, medicine, and for recreation. The present study aimed to investigate the lipid profile of four different parts of C. sativa. The leaves, stem, root, and seeds of Cannabis sativa were processed, and evaluated for their lipid profile, including crude fat (CF), fatty acids (FAs), phospholipids (PLs), and phytosterol contents according to standard procedures. The energy contribution of the various FAs was also evaluated. The results showed that the CF content was generally low in all the parts except the seeds, with values ranging from 1.60 to 27.4 g/100 g, and corresponding total fatty acids (T-FAs) of 1.28-21.9 g/100 g. Other lipids (OL) were also present in low concentrations (0.32-5.48 g/100 g). The calculated energy (kJ/100 g/kcal/100 g) values were as follows: CF (59.2-1014/14.4-247), T-FAs (47.4-811/11.5-197), and OL (11.8-203/2.88-49.30). The saturated FA (SFA) and n-3 polyunsaturated FA (PUFA) were highest in the leaves (29.2% and 14.3%, respectively), while the seeds had the highest content of monounsaturated FA (MUFA) (17.30%) and n-6 PUFA (62.4%). The major sterols present were sitosterol, campesterol, stigmasterol, and delta-5-avenasterol, with the seeds having the highest overall sterol content of 194 mg/100 g. For the phospholipids, phosphatidylinositol was the most abundant (5.84–63.80 mg/100 g). These findings revealed C. sativa as an important source of essential lipids, and the data obtained would be an important contribution to the nutritional value of C. sativa.