The amazing Black seed Oil:
The maximal nutritional value of black cumin can be linked to the presence of substantial amount of vegetable protein, fiber and minerals, and vitamins.
The nutritional composition reported from different sources revealed 20-85% of protein, 38.20% of fat, 7-94% of fiber, and 31.94% of total carbohydrates.
Among various amino acids identified, glutamate, arginine, and aspartate while cysteine and methionine were the major and minor amino acids, respectively.
Black cumin seeds also contain significant levels of iron, copper, zinc, phosphorus, calcium, thiamin, niacin, pyridoxine, and folic acid. In addition, phytochemical analyses of N. sativa displayed the presence of over hundreds of phytoconstituents which include mainly alkaloids, saponins, sterols, and essential oil but the composition of many of these have not been chemically recognized nor have been biologically verified.
The N. sativa seed contain 26-34% fixed oil of which the major fatty acids are linoleic acid (64.6%) and palmitic acid (20.4%). The seed oil is comprised of 0.4%–2.5% essential oil.
Amongst different active constituents reported so far, thymoquinone found as major component of the essential oil is the most bioactive compound and exhibits wide ranging therapeutic benefits.
Sources:
- Takruri H. R. H., Dameh M. A. F. Study of the nutritional value of black cumin seeds (Nigella sativa L) Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. 1998;76(3):404–410. doi: 10.1002/(SICI)1097-0010(199803)76:3<404::AID-JSFA964>3.3.CO;2-C.
- Ramadan M. F. Nutritional value, functional properties and nutraceutical applications of black cumin (Nigella sativa L.): an overview. International Journal of Food Science & Technology. 2007;42(10):1208–1218. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2621.2006.01417.x.
- Mamun M. A., Absar N. Major nutritional compositions of black cumin seeds cultivated in Bangladesh and the physicochemical characteristics of its oil. International Food Research Journal. 2018;25(6):2634–2639.
- Comparative analysis of essential oil composition of Iranian and Indian <i>Nigella sativa</i> L. extracted using supercritical fluid extraction and solvent extraction.
Ghahramanloo KH, Kamalidehghan B, Akbari Javar H, Teguh Widodo R, Majidzadeh K, Noordin MI Drug Des Devel Ther. 2017; 11():2221-2226.
- Haseena S., Aithal M., Das K. K., Saheb S. H. Phytochemical analysis of Nigella sativa and its effect on reproductive system. Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research. 2015;7(8):514–517.