Abstract:
Black cumin seeds are extensively utilized for foods, cosmetics, and medicinal purposes. The current investigation was
undertaken to analyzse the nutritional values, fatty acid compositions, bioactive compounds, and antioxidant roles of
diferent black cumin genotypes available in Bangladesh. The genotype BSK-2074 had a higher content of proximate
composition of crude oil (35.17%), crude protein (23.51%), total carbohydrate (35.23%), moisture (6.54%), ash (3.74%),
crude iber (8.12%), and gross energy value (644.88 kcal/100 g) than the released varieties and cultivars of black cumin
available in Bangladesh. The major fatty acid proile of the seed-oil of the BSK-2074 genotype revealed that the oil
contained a high amount of linoleic (59.39%), oleic (25.72%), palmitic (13.11%), and stearic (2.25%) acids, as well as a low
amount of arachidic, linolenic, myristic, behenic, palmitoleic, lignoceric, and eicosadienoic acids. Moreover, the genotype
BSK-2074 contained a high amount of unsaturated (UFAs, 85%), and low content of saturated (SFAs, 18%) fatty acids, and
the ratio of UFAs to SFAs was higher (4.39–5.37). Again, the seeds of the genotype BSK-2074 were also enriched in diferent
minerals, viz., calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, iron, and zinc. Moreover, total phenolic contents (TPC) and
lavonoid contents (TFC) were found signiicantly higher in the genotype BSK-2074 (478.47 ± 7.33 mg GAE/100 g and
284.07 ± 2.08 mg QE/100 g, respectively) than the local Kalozira variety (316.48 ± 2.33 mg GAE/100 g and 120.53 ± 3.57 mg
QE/100 g) found in Bangladesh. The activities of antioxidants 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals and ferric
reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) were found signiicantly higher in BSK-2074 (37.93% and 129.65 ± 0.19 mg GAE/100 g),
than the local Kalozira variety (98.09% and 193.75 ± 0.19 mg GAE/100 g). Thus, the new genotype, BSK-2074, was identiied
and suggested as the most promising and nutritionally enriched genotype of black cumin.
