Potential valorization of apricot oil as a functional food: antioxidant properties and health benefits

Apricot is a functional food that has many health benefits while being delicious and nutritious. In Morocco, apricot kernels are considered waste. Currently, the uses envisaged to valorize these almonds are rare even though almonds, although bitter, are rich in therapeutic compounds. Indeed, apricot kernels are a good source of oil, containing bioactive components such as fatty acids, tocopherols, terpenoid phenolic compounds with high antioxidant, anticancer, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activity. The objective of this study is to study the potential for the valorization of this co-product by analyzing the chemical composition of almond oils from different apricot genotypes from different geographical origins. Samples of by-products from apricots harvested for two years (2018-2091) were used in the study. We tested different methods of almond oil extraction, followed by conducting an analysis of the chemical composition of the oils.
The results revealed strong antioxidant activity, with anti-radical activity of up to 70%, a high content of unsaturated fatty acids including oleic acid (64% of omega-9) and linoleic acid (26% of omega-6), and a high content of vitamin E (4mg). This richness in photochemical compounds was discussed for possible work on the valorization of almond oil for use in cosmetics or food. Formulations of cosmetic products based on active extracts of these studied oils have been proposed and some are at the biological testing stage.