Examination the Quality of Oil Obtained from Cornelian Cherry (Cornus mas L.) Seeds as an Additive in the Production of Cosmetic Preparations and Food Supplements
From ancient times the natural plant Cornelian cherry is used for various purposes. The healing properties of Cornelian cherry suit the human body and give it the necessary vitamins, acids, and everything else it needs for the body to function normally and healthily. Due to its antioxidant, antiallergic, antimicrobial, and antihistamine properties, it is increasingly used as a dietary supplement, as well as for medical and pharmaceutical purposes. In addition to the fruit of the Cornelian cherry, in the past, the oil of Cornelian cherry seeds was used, the content of which can be up to 30%. However, the data available in the literature are scanty and do not show true values because the oil content depends on many factors, such as the geographical origin of the Cornelian cherry, the harvest period, varieties, etc., which also affects the oil content in the seeds. Therefore, the aim of this study is to determine the average oil content of Cornelian cherry seeds, and to determine the obtained oil physico-chemical parameters that show the quality of the oil, namely oil viscosity, iodine value, peroxide value, acid value, and saponification value. Based on the obtained results, more information is clearly given about the quality of the obtained oil, as well as its use in the production of cosmetic preparations. Based on the conducted analyzes, it was shown that the oil obtained from the Cornelian cherry seeds was high quality, and that it was analyzed in its fatty acid composition similar to other vegetable oils such as sunflower oil, pumpkin oil, corn oil. The low of the peroxide value showed that the oil used has good resistance to oxidative spoilage, which is attributed to the composition of fatty acids and the presence of oil components that have a pronounced antioxidant effect, while the iodine value indicates that it is oil rich in saturated fatty acids such as palmitic, stearic and arachid, etc. where genotype plays an important role. The saponification value showed that these are fatty acids present in the triacylglycerols of this oil, which are low molecular weight, ie there are fewer of those with a larger number of C atoms. All obtained values of the analyzed physical and chemical parameters are in accordance with the requirements imposed by the Regulations on edible vegetable oils (Official Gazette of the Federation Bosnia and Herzegovina No.21/11.), and as such can be used for cosmetic purposes.