Eur Food Res Technol (2008) 227:11731182

DOI 10.1007/s00217-008-0833-y

ORIGINAL PAPER

Coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) seed oil improves plasma lipid

profile in rats fed a diet containing cholesterol
Mohamed Fawzy Ramadan Mohamed Mostafa Afify Amer
Ahmed El-Said Awad

Received: 10 December 2007 / Revised: 20 January 2008 / Accepted: 22 January 2008 / Published online: 9 February 2008
Springer-Verlag 2008

Abstract Coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) seed oil

(COR) is a promising oil with high levels of bioactive
compounds. Very little information, however, is available
on the effect of administration of COR on different aspects
of plasma lipid profile in experimental animals. In view of
the important implications, the effect of administration of
COR and oil blend [a mixture of soybean oil, coriander oil
and sunflower oil (4:2:4, w/w/w; Blend)] on the profile of
plasma lipids was investigated in 24 male albino rats
placed on a cholesterol-rich (1%) basal diet as compared to
rats on a cholesterol-free basal diet. Coriander seed oil and
Blend were analyzed for composition of fatty acid, sterol
and tocopherol. The levels of bioactive compounds (sterols
and tocopherols) were higher in COR than in the Blend. In
addition, the antiradical potential of COR and Blend was
measured and the results showed that COR had stronger
radical scavenging activity than Blend. In the biological
experiment, rats were divided into four diet groups. The
negative control group (control) consumed the basal diet
(BD) only, which contained wheat starch, casein and cellulose, as well as mineral and vitamin mixtures. To the BD
were added 1 g/100 g cholesterol (Chol/group), or both
(Chol/COR group) and (Chol/Blend group). The groups did
not differ before the experiment, which lasted 60 days.
Plasma total lipids (TL), triacylglycerols (TAG), total
cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol
(LDL-C) and high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDLC) were measured at day 15, 30, 45 and 60 during the
experiment period. Generally, COR and Blend-supplemented diets decreased the levels of TL, TC, TAG and
M. F. Ramadan (&)
M. M. A. Amer
A. E.-S. Awad
Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Agriculture,
Zagazig University, 44511 Zagazig, Egypt
e-mail: hassanienmohamed@yahoo.com

LDL-C in plasma. In addition, significant increase in the

levels of HDL-C was observed for Chol/COR and Chol/
Blend groups. The results demonstrated that COR, and to a
relatively lesser degree Blend, have hypocholesterolemic
properties in rats fed a cholesterol-rich diet.
Keywords Coriander seed oil
Coriandrum sativum L.

Hypocholesterolemia
Soybean oil
Sunflower oil

Vegetable oil blends
Radical scavenging activity

Lipid profile
LDL-cholesterol
HDL-cholesterol
Abbreviations
COR
Coriander seed oil
Blend
A mixture of soybean oil, coriander oil
and sunflower oil (4:2:4, w/w/w)
HDL-C HDL-cholesterol
LDL-C LDL-cholesterol
TC
Total cholesterol
TAG
Triacylglycerols
TL
Total lipids
BD
Basal diet
DPPH
1,1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl
Chol
Cholesterol

Introduction
Spices are reported to possess hypolipidemic activity [1].
Coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) is a culinary and
medicinal plant from the family Umbelliferae, which is
extensively cultivated in India, Russia, Central Europe,
Asia and Middle East. The dried fruits are extensively
employed as a condiment, especially for flavoring sauces,
meat products and bakery and confectionery items [2].

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Coriander and other seeds of Umbelliferae, such as parsley

(Petroselinum rubrum), and fennel (Foeniculum vulgare)
contain high levels of petroselinic acid (D6-cis-octadecenoic acid, 18:1 n-12) as part of triacylglycerols [3, 4].
Breeding of coriander as a renewable resource for petroselinic acid is in progress in view of the potential use of this
fatty acid for the production of specific oleochemicals [5,
6]. Coriander seed oil (COR) had recently been intensively
investigated [4, 711] and the results indicated that the
crude seed oil is a highly promising edible oil with high
levels of bioactive lipids. On the other hand, mixing different types of vegetable oils can increase the levels of
polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and bioactive lipids in
the blends and give better quality oils, which include tailormade physicochemical properties as well as improved
nutritional value at affordable prices. Blending of oils has
been a common permitted practice in many countries for
decades. Lately, blended oils containing commonly consumed edible oils mixed with unconventional oils have
been manufactured and marketed [12].
Earlier studies in vitro have shown that triacylglycerols
containing petroselinoyl moieties are hydrolyzed by pancreatic lipase at much lower rates than those containing
oleoyl and other C-18 acyl moieties [13, 14]. However,
other studies revealed that petroselinic acid from triacylglycerols of COR is incorporated extensively into the lipids
of heart and liver of rats and, concomitantly, the concentration of arachidonic acid in these tissues is reduced [15,
16]. The decrease in the level of arachidonic acid is
envisaged to be caused by the presence of petroselinic acid
having a D6-double bond that inhibits the D6-desaturase as
a pseudo-product by mimicking the structure of 18:3 n-6, a
precursor of arachidonic acid [17]. Thus, COR might be
useful in modulating the level of arachidonate in lipids of
cerebral membranes, in specific conditions of health and
disease. Moreover, dietary petroselinic acid is metabolized
in the rat liver via b-oxidation and chain elongation to
shorter and higher homologs, respectively; however, petroselinic acid is a dead-end metabolite of the desaturation
chain elongationreactioncycle [16].
Coronary atherosclerosis is still one of the most dangerous diseases in humans; it is the principal cause of death
in Western civilization. Numerous studies document the
beneficial effects on health, particularly against coronary
heart diseases, of ingestion of dietary fats having high
levels of monounsaturated fatty acid, oleic acid [18:1(n-9)],
in the constituent fatty acids of triacylglycerols [1824]. A
few studies have appeared on the effects of dietary fats
with high levels of naturally occurring positional isomers
of oleic acid, such as petroselinic acid [18:1(n-12)] [15, 16,
17, 25, 26]. The main aim of the present investigation was
to study the effect of COR and oil blend (Blend) containing
20% COR on lipid metabolism in rats adapted to

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Eur Food Res Technol (2008) 227:11731182

cholesterol-free or cholesterol diets. As far as we know,

there have been no such previous investigations.

Materials and methods

Materials
Coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) seeds were obtained
from a local market (Zagazig, Egypt) and the oil was
extracted using n-hexane for 6 h in a Soxhlet Extractor.
Refined, bleached and deodorized sunflower oil and soybean oil were purchased from a local market (Zagazig,
Egypt). The oil blend was prepared as a mixture of soybean, coriander and sunflower oils (4:2:4, w/w/w).
Cholesterol of analytical grade was obtained from Sigma
(St. Louis, MO, USA). Standards used for sterol characterization were purchased from Supelco (Bellefonte, PA,
USA). Standards used for vitamin E (a-, b-, c- and
d-tocopherol) were purchased from Merck (Darmstadt,
Germany). The 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH,
approximately 90%) was purchased from Sigma (St. Louis,
MO, USA). Reagents and chemicals used were of the
highest purity available.

Methods
Chromatographic analysis of vegetable oils
Gas liquid chromatography of fatty acids methyl esters
(FAME) was carried out according to the procedure
reported by Arens et al. [27]. Gas liquid chromatography of
sterols was performed after saponification of the oil samples without derivatization according to Ramadan et al. [9].
High-performance liquid chromatography (NP-HPLC) was
carried out for tocopherols analysis according to Ramadan
and Moersel [7].

Radical scavenging activity of COR and Blend

toward DPPH radical
The radical scavenging activity (RSA) of oils was assayed
with DPPH radical previously dissolved in toluene
according to Ramadan et al. [9]. Toluenic solution of
DPPH radicals was freshly prepared at a concentration of
10-4 M. The radical, in the absence of antioxidant compounds, was stable for more than 2 h of normal kinetic
assay. For evaluation, 10 mg of oil (in 100 lL toluene)
was mixed with 390 lL toluenic solution of DPPH radicals and the mixture was vortexed for 20 s at ambient
temperature. Against a blank of pure toluene without

Eur Food Res Technol (2008) 227:11731182

DPPH, the decrease in absorption at 515 nm was measured in 1 cm quartz cells after 30 and 60 min of mixing
using UV-260 visible recording spectrophotometer (Shimadzu, Kyoto, Japan). RSA toward DPPH radicals was
estimated from the differences in absorbance of toluenic
DPPH solution with or without sample (control) and the
inhibition percent was calculated from the following
equation:
Inhibition %
absorbance of control  absorbance of test sample=
absorbance of control  100:
All experimental procedures were performed in
triplicate and their mean values (standard deviation) are
given.

1175
Table 1 Diet composition of investigated groups that were fed high
cholesterol diets and controls that were fed cholesterol-free diets
Ingredients
(g/100 g diet)

Chol/Blend
group

Chol/COR
group

Chol
group

Control

Casein

15

15

15

15

Starch

63.75

63.75

63.75

64.75

Salt mixturea
Vitamin mixtureb

4
1

4
1

4
1

4
1

Cellulose

Colic acid

0.25

0.25

0.25

0.25

Cholesterol

Sunflower oil

COR

10

Soybean oil

Composition of salt mixture (%): NaCl, 0.5; KI, 0.013; K2HPO4,

1.62; MgSO4, 0.325; CaCO3,1.5; CaHPO4, 0.30; FeSO4, 0.125;
CuSO4, 0.0015; MnSO4, 0.011; and ZnSO4, 0.00961
b

Biological experiment
Rats and diets
The experiment lasted for 60 days. The work was carried
out at the Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Zagazig University (Egypt). Faculty of
Veterinary medicine at Zagazig University provided male
albino rats (n = 24) with a mean weight of 120 g. They
were housed individually in stainless steel metabolic
cages and divided into four groups of six. The rats were
housed in cages with screen bottom in a controlled
environment with 12 h light and 12 h dark cycles. All
groups were fed a basal diet (BD) for 10 days as the
adaptation period. The BD included wheat starch, casein,
cellulose, and mineral and vitamin mixtures. The negative control group (control) was fed only the BD. The
other three groups were named cholesterol group (Chol),
Chol/COR, and Chol/Blend. To BD of these groups were
added 1 g/100 g non-oxidized cholesterol (Chol), or both
Chol/COR and Chol/Blend as presented in Table 1. The
cholesterol batches were mixed carefully with the basal
diet (1:99) just before the diets were offered to the rats.
All rats consumed food ad libitum once a day beginning
at 8:00 a.m. for 2 h and had unrestricted access to
drinking water. Diet intake was monitored daily. Before
the experiment, the blood samples were drawn from the
tail vein. At the end of the experiment, the rats were
anesthetized using diethyl ether and blood samples were
taken from the left atrium of the heart. The rats were
fasted before blood sampling. The weight gain of the rats
was recorded on a weekly basis. Four time points were
used in this experiment and at these points a wide range
of laboratory tests were performed.

Composition of vitamin mixture (mg): Vitamin K, 0.5; inositol, 10;

niacin, 4; Ca pantothenate, 4; riboflavin, 0.8; thiamin HCL, 0.5;
pyridoxine, 0.5; folic acid, 0.2; biotin, 0.04; vitamin B12, 0.003;
choline chloride, 200; para-amino benzoic acid,10; vitamin A, 2000
(iu) and vitamin D, 200 (iu)

Blood sampling and analysis

Blood samples were collected from the eye plexuses
under diethyl ether anesthesia after 15, 30, 45 and 60 days
from the start. The samples were collected in tubes with
heparin as anticoagulant and then centrifuged at
3,000 rpm for 20 min to obtain plasma for analysis. Total
lipids (TL) were colorimetrically determined by the
reaction of TL with sulfophosphovanillic mixture
according to Coudon and Bouige [28]. The total cholesterol was analyzed according to Richmond [29].
According to Demacker et al. [30], LDL-cholesterol was
determined as the difference between total cholesterol and
the cholesterol content of the supernatant after precipitation of the LDL fraction by the polyvinyl sulfate in the
presence of polyethyleneglycol monomethyl ether. The
triglycerides were analyzed according to Fossati and
Prencipe [31].

Statistical analysis
Results are presented as mean standard deviation of the
means. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used
to ascertain if the dietary treatments were a source of
variance related to the various lipid parameters measured.
If a significant F test was noted, means were separated
using critical difference. A level of P \ 0.05 was considered to be significant.

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Results
Fatty acids, sterols and tocopherols composition
of COR and Blend
The fatty acid composition of both COR and Blend is given
in Table 2. The major difference between the oils is in the
level of isomeric octadecenoic acids, i.e., petroselinic acid
[18:1(n-12)] and oleic acid [18:1(n-9)], and in the level of
linoleic acid [18:2(n-6)]. Thus, the Blend had a high proportion of 18:1(n-9), and COR had a high level of
18:1(n-12), whereas the proportion of 18:2(n-6) was higher
in the Blend (41.7%) than in COR (14.4%). The analysis of
FAME in the Blend gave the proportion of linoleic followed by oleic, petroselinic, palmitic and stearic as the
major fatty acids. In COR, petroselinic acid was the major
fatty acid accounting for 70.2% of the total FAME followed by linoleic acid (14.4%). The level of petroselinic
acid detected in our study is quite similar to that formerly
found in literature [4, 9]. In general, oil plants, except of
genetically modified or breeded ones, are not able to
accumulate more than 80% of any one fatty acid due to oil
crop biochemistry [32]. The fatty acid profile of COR
estimated in the present investigation, however, is partly
different from those in literature, which show considerably
different values. For example, no lauric acid was found in
the present study as reported by Subbaram and Youngs
[33]. Concerning saturated fatty acids (especially palmitic
and stearic), Blend was characterized by a higher level of
saturates and a correspondingly lower unsaturation ratio. A

striking feature of the Blend was the relatively high level of

polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), especially linoleic
acid (C18:2n-6). Interest in PUFA, as health-promoting
nutrients, has expanded dramatically in recent years. A
rapidly growing literature illustrates the benefits of PUFA,
in alleviating cardiovascular diseases, inflammatory heart
diseases, atherosclerosis, autoimmune disorder, diabetes
and other diseases [34, 35].
COR and Blend are characterized by a relatively high
amount of unsaponifiable matter, especially COR, which
contains about 22.9 g unsaponifiable/kg oil. Levels of total
sterols were correlated with the total unsaponifiables,
wherein the highest level of phytosterols was measured in
COR. Seven compounds were postulated, wherein the
sterol marker in both COR and Blend was b-sitosterol
(Table 2). In COR, D5-avenasterol was the second main
compound accounting for about 22% of total sterols. Other
components, e.g., D7-stigmastenol, D7-avenasterol and sitostanol were present in lower levels, while campesterol
and D5, 24-stigmastadinol were not detected. Among the
different plant sterols, sitosterol has been most intensively
investigated with respect to its physiological effects on
man. Many beneficial effects of sitosterol have been shown
[36]. Phytosterols, in general, are of interest due to their
antioxidant activity and impact on health. Recently, phytosterol, an example of a successful functional food, has
been added to vegetable oils [37].
Vitamin E deficiency in humans causes defects in the
developing nervous system of children and hemolysis in
man [38]. Eipdemiologic studies suggest that people with

Table 2 Levels of fatty acids (%), sterols and tocopherols (g/kg) in COR and Blend used in the feeding experiment
Compound

Blend

COR

Compound

Blend

COR

C14:0

0.24 0.03

0.85 0.03

Stigmasterol

0.279 0.04

0.803 0.08

C16:0

10.2 0.17

4.47 0.10

Lanosterol

0.337 0.08

1.456 0.32

C16:1n-9

0.14 0.02

0.44 0.03

b-Sitosterol

1.096 0.11

2.644 0.39

C18:0

3.66 0.05

0.65 0.09

D5-Avenasterol

0.235 0.07

1.511 0.15

C18:1n-9

27.1 0.66

8.20 0.74

Sitostanol

0.036 0.01

0.112 0.08

C18:1n-12

14.0 0.34

70.2 0.74

D7-stigmastenol

0.051 0.01

0.141 0.04

C18:2n-6

41.7 1.22

14.4 1.04

D7-Avenasterol

0.178 0.03

0.192 0.05

C18:3n-3

2.10 0.06

0.36 0.05

C20:0

0.22 0.02

0.27 0.02

a-Tocopherol

0.030 0.005

0.028 0.001

C20:2

0.64 0.04

C24:1

ND

0.26 0.03

b-Tocopherol

0.291 0.02

1.080 0.09

0.09 0.03

c-Tocopherol

0.028 0.001

0.016 0.001

d-Tocopherol

0.219 0.05

0.013 0.001

U/S ratioa

5.98

15.03

Total UFA

85.67

93.76

Total PUFA

46.44

15.02

Values given are the mean of three replicates standard deviation

ND not detected; total UFA total unsaturated fatty acids; total PUFA total polyunsaturated fatty acids
a

Unsaturation ratio = (16:1 + 18:1 + 18:2 + 18:3 + 20:2 + 24:1)/(14:0 + 16:0 + 18:0 + 20:0)

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Eur Food Res Technol (2008) 227:11731182

Radical scavenging activity of COR and Blend

To find out how vegetable oils with different antioxidant
capacities influence lipid metabolism in rats fed a cholesterol-containing and cholesterol-free diet, COR and Blend
were used in this study. Interest has increased in the past
few years in the free radical theory of disease causation,
particularly in vascular diseases and certain forms of cancer. These developments have led to investigation of
dietary agents, such as antioxidant nutrients (mainly vitamins A, C and E), in a possible prophylactic, even curative,
role in the disease process. Closely related to this probable
benefit of natural antioxidants is their role in controlling
free radicals, as they may lead to pathological effects such
as vascular diseases and cancer. A free radical is defined as
any chemical species that has one or more unpaired electrons. This results in very reactive compounds. Oxidation is
a natural and needed reaction in metabolism. Highly
reactive hydroxyl radicals result and these can attack DNA,
protein and polyunsaturated fatty acids residues of membrane phospholipids, among others. With the latter, a
peroxyl radical is formed. Antioxidants quench this radical.
If the supply of antioxidants is inadequate, a chain reaction
takes place that may lead to damaged tissue. The model of
scavenging stable free radicals is widely used to evaluate

the antioxidant properties in a relatively short time, as

compared to other methods [9, 11, 44]. A rapid antiradical
test was developed by Ramadan et al. [9] using the same
solvent (toluene) to dissolve the fat or oil samples and the
free radicals. This allowed characterizing and comparing
the RSA of oils under the same conditions. In the present
study, antiradical properties of the COR and Blend were
compared using stable DPPH free radicals. Figure 1 shows
that COR had appropriately higher RSA than Blend. After
1 h incubation at room temperature, 85% of DPPH radicals
were quenched by COR, while Blend was able to quench
only 76%. Regarding the composition of COR and Blend,
they have different patterns of fatty acid and lipid-soluble
bioactives. Apart from the RSA, the oxidative stability of
vegetable oils depends on the fatty acid composition, the
presence of minor fat-soluble bioactives and the initial
amount of hydroperoxides. It could be said that the RSA of
oils and fats can be interpreted as the combined action of
different endogenous antioxidants. However, when unsaponifiables and polar fractions, which contain mainly
tocopherols, sterols, polar lipids and minor amounts of
phenolics, are found in high levels, strong RSA of these
components can be expected as well as synergistic activity
with primary antioxidants [11, 45]. The relatively stronger
antiradical action of COR compared to Blend may be due
to: (1) the differences in content and composition of polar
lipids and unsaponifiables; (2) the diversity in structural
characteristics of potential phenolic antioxidants present;
(3) a synergism of polar lipids with other components
present, and (4) different kinetic behaviors of potential
antioxidants. All these factors may contribute to the radical
quenching efficiency of oils.

100
90

Remaining DPPH %

low intake of vitamin E and other antioxidants and with

low plasma antioxidant level may be at increased risk for
certain types of cancer and for atherosclerosis [39, 40]. It is
also suggested that supplementation with antioxidants may
decrease the risk of these and other degenerative processes
[41]. Tocopherols in vegetable oils, moreover, are believed
to protect PUFA from peroxidation [42]. Data about the
qualitative and quantitative composition of vitamins E in
COR and Blend are summarized in Table 2. In the present
investigation, the NP-HPLC technique was used to eliminate column contamination problems and to allow the use
of oil for the isolation of tocopherols. Thus, saponification
of oil sample was not required, which allowed shorter
analysis time and greater vitamin stability during analysis
[7]. b-Tocopherol was the main component in both oil
samples. a, c and d-tocopherols were detected in relatively
high levels in Blend (48.7%), while these accounted for
only 5.01% in COR. a-Tocopherol is the most efficient
antioxidant of tocopherol isomers, while b-tocopherol has
2550% of the antioxidative activity of a-tocopherol, and
c-isomer has 1035% [41]. Despite general agreement that
a-tocopherol, a vitamin E homolog, is the most efficient
antioxidant in vivo, studies indicate a considerable discrepancy in its absolute and relative antioxidant
effectiveness in vitro, especially when compared to
c-tocopherol [43].

1177

Blend

80

COR

70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0

30

60

Time (min)

Fig. 1 Scavenging effect at different incubation times of coriander

seed oil and oil blend on DPPH radical as measured by changes in
absorbance values at 515 nm. Results are given as mean from
triplicate estimations and error bars show the variations of three
determinations in terms of standard deviation

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Impact of feeding COR and Blend on the plasma lipid

profile
In several epidemiological and clinical studies, it has been
demonstrated that oleic acid can be as effective as PUFA
in the prevention of coronary heart diseases. It is conceivable that dietary oleic acid modulates the biosynthesis
of n-3 and n-6 LC-PUFA, which in turn affect the concentration of lipoproteins in blood. On the other hand,
very few investigations have been carried out to demonstrate the beneficial effects of petroselinic acid on lipid
metabolism [1517]. As coriander is a common spice used
worldwide, it was proposed to investigate this aspect in
detail using rats as experimental animals. In the present
study with rats, we have compared the effects of feeding
COR containing a high proportion of petroselinic acid and
Blend containing oleic and petroselinic acids by determining their influence on the levels of TL, TAG, TC,
LDL-cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol. In our experiment,
the addition of oils or cholesterol, or both, to the diets did
not affect food intake, body weight gain or feed efficiency
(data not shown). In earlier studies on feeding COR to
rats, food consumption, body weight and feed efficiency,
measured as weight gain to food intake, did not differ
significantly [15].

Total lipids
Data in Fig. 2 show the levels of plasma total lipids (TL) in
rats fed diets containing COR and Blend at different
experimental periods. It can be remarked that TL increased
over the experimental period in the negative control group,
while Chol/group (positive control), receiving high-fat
diets, had a rapidly increasing plasma TL, which reached a
maximum (5.3 g/l) at the end of the experiment. The oil-

Triacylglycerols and total cholesterol

The levels of plasma triacylglycerols (TAG) and total
cholesterol (TC) in rats during different periods of the
experiment are shown in Figs. 3 and 4. A significant
decrease in both TAG and TC levels was observed in
animals administered COR and Blend. After 60 days, the
oil-supplemented diets significantly decreased plasma TAG
(54 vs. 150, and 56 vs. 150) as calculated in mg/dl (Fig. 3)
for Chol/COR and Chol/Blend groups vs. the Chol/group,
respectively. Moreover, remarkable reduction was
observed in the levels of TC at the end of the experiment
(Fig. 4), as calculated in mg/dl (63 vs. 278, and 60 vs. 278)
for Chol/COR and Chol/Blend groups vs. the Chol/group,
respectively. As seen from the results, COR and, to a lesser
degree, Blend significantly lowered TAG and TC, which
may have been due to the high level of bioactive lipids in
COR. These results were ascertained by Ramadan and
Moersel [4, 11] and Ramadan et al. [9], who stated that
crude COR, in comparison with other conventional and
non-conventional oils, contains a very high level of phytosterols, tocopherols and polar lipids.
Many studies have revealed that replacement of saturated fatty acids by unsaturated fatty acids is a very
effective way of lowering plasma TC. These results are in
line with Aguilera et al. [46], who stated also that the
replacement of dietary saturated fat by mono- or polyunsaturated fats significantly lowers the plasma-cholesterol
and LDL-cholesterol levels. The hypothesis is that plasma
cholesterol is decreased because lipid esters containing
PUFA require more space in lipoproteins and thereby

60

Feeding period (days)

Fig. 2 Impact of feeding COR

and Blend on the levels of total
lipids. Values given are the
mean of three replicates and
error bars show the variations
of determinations in terms of
standard deviation

supplemented diets decreased the level of TL in plasma due

to dietary cholesterol for the Chol/COR and Chol/Blend
groups vs. the Chol/group.

45

30

Chol/COR group
Chol/Blend group
Chol group
Control

15

Total lipids (g/I)

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Eur Food Res Technol (2008) 227:11731182

60

Feeding period (days)

Fig. 3 Impact of feeding COR

and Blend on the levels of TAG.
Values given are the mean of
three replicates and error bars
show the variations of
determinations in terms of
standard deviation

1179

45

30
Chol/COR group
Chol/Blend group
Chol group

15

Control

20

40

60

80

100

140

120

160

180

TAG (mg/dI)

60

Feeding period (days)

Fig. 4 Impact of feeding COR

and Blend on the levels of TC.
Values given are the mean of
three replicates and error bars
show the variations of
determinations in terms of
standard deviation

45

30

Chol/COR group
Chol/Blend group
Chol group

15

Control
0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

Total Cholesterol (m g/dl )

exclude cholesterol. Moreover, a diet based on a high

proportion of essential PUFA (fluid) would allow a higher
incorporation of cholesterol (rigid) in the membranes to
balance their fluidity, which would contribute to lower
blood cholesterol levels. Thus, oils with a lower content of
saturated fatty acids and higher content of PUFA would
significantly lower TC concentration [47].

HDL-cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol

The enhancement in HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) and lowered LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) in serum could be
beneficial in many heart diseases. Accumulation of LDL-C
within the arterial wall appears to play a crucial role in the
initiation and progression of atherosclerotic plaque. The
concentration of LDL-C decreased while that of HDL
cholesterol was increased in the experimental groups fed
COR and Blend (Figs. 5, 6). At the end of the feeding

period (60 days), the COR and Blend-supplemented diets

significantly increased the level of HDL-cholesterol (36 vs.
19, and 31 vs. 19) as calculated in mg/dl for Chol/COR and
Chol/Blend groups vs. the Chol/group, respectively. As
presented in Fig. 5, the highest increase in HDL-C was
measured in the Chol/COR group that was fed crude COR.
These results are in agreement with Julius [48], who indicates that a marked reduction in HDL-C levels does not
occur during PUFA feeding and HDL-cholesterol levels
tended to be higher after a MUFA-rich diet. Moreover,
remarkable reduction was observed in the levels of LDL-C
at the end of the experiment (Fig. 6), as calculated in mg/dl
(26 vs. 227, and 29 vs. 227) for Chol/COR and Chol/Blend
groups vs. the Chol/group, respectively. Generally, the
results are in line with Lichtenstein [49], who reported that
saturated fatty acids tend to increase LDL-C levels,
whereas monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids
tend to decrease LDL-C levels. Sacks and Martijn Katan
[50] also found that when saturated or trans unsaturated

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1180

60

Feeding period (days)

Fig. 5 Impact of feeding COR

and Blend on the levels of HDLC. Values given are the mean of
three replicates and error bars
show the variations of
determinations in terms of
standard deviation

Eur Food Res Technol (2008) 227:11731182

45

30
Chol/COR group
Chol/Blend group
C h o l g ro u p
C o n t ro l

15

10

15

20

30

25

35

40

HDL-Cholesterol (mg/dl)

60

Feeding period (days)

Fig. 6 Impact of feeding COR

and Blend on the levels of LDLC. Values given are the mean of
three replicates and error bars
show the variations of
determinations in terms of
standard deviation

45

30

Chol/COR group
Chol/Blend group
Chol group
Control

15

50

100

150

200

250

300

LDL-Cholesterol (mg/dl)

fats are replaced with monounsaturated or n-6 polyunsaturated fats from vegetable oils, primarily LDL-C
decreases.

Discussion
Food and medicine are, in fact, two sides of the same coin,
and man has been provided with both these materials by
plants. From very early times, spices are believed to have
played an important role in human health. It is known that
elevated levels of TC, LDL-C, TAG, apolipoproteins B and
C-III, and reduced level of HDL-C and apolipoprotein A-I,
are major risk factors for atherosclerosis [51, 52]. Hypercholesterolemia remains an anatomic foundation of this
disease [5355]. It was shown that only oxidized LDL-C
particles are able to penetrate arterial walls and cause their
occlusion [56]. Therefore, hypocholesterolemic and antioxidant substances have to be an integral part of
atherosclerosis-preventing diets [5759].

123

It was claimed that the positive influence of the Mediterranean diet is connected to its low saturated and high
monounsaturated fatty acids content [60, 61]. However,
oils rich in monounsaturated fatty acids do not have the
same positive effect [62]. At present, there is no unified
explanation of this finding. It has been reported that the
antioxidant capacity of oils in vitro is directly connected to
their bioactive sterols, tocopherols, polar lipids and phenolic content [11, 60, 63, 64]. Maybe, this is the answer to
the question why oils rich in monounsaturated fatty acids
do not have the same positive effect.
Rabbits fed a high-cholesterol diet have been the main
animals used for the investigation of hypercholesterolemia
or atherosclerotic lesions of vascular diseases. Other small
animals that can be used for this type of study are exogenously hypercholesterolemic rats and hamsters, which
require only weeks to months to establish hypercholesterolemia after the start of a high-cholesterol diet [65].
Our results of in vivo experiment indicate that the
administration of COR and Blend has a profound influence

Eur Food Res Technol (2008) 227:11731182

on the metabolism of lipids in rats fed a cholesterol containing diet. Coriander and Blend oils positively affect
plasma lipid profile in rats fed a cholesterol-containing
diet. The TC, LDL-C and TAG concentrations in the Chol/
COR and Chol/Blend diet groups were significantly lower
than those in the Chol diet group. As the level of TL
increased while the level of TAG and TC decreased during
the experimental period, it seems that phospholipids level
might be increased over 60 days [66]. Furthermore, a significant increase in HDL-C levels was observed in the
animals during different periods of the study. On the other
hand, the results of radical scavenging activity test indicate
that not only the fatty acid composition, but also the bioactive compounds (sterols, tocopherols, polar lipids and
phenolics) affect the antioxidative properties and bioactivity of vegetable oils [11]. We found a high correlation
between RSA of COR or Blend and total bioactive compounds including sterols and tocopherols. These results are
in agreement with those of other authors who have found in
vitro that not monounsaturated oleic acid, but the remarkable quantities of phenolic compounds, could account for
the cardioprotective effect of the Mediterranean diet [67].
As expected, the oil-supplemented diet, which contains a
high concentration of antioxidant components, will positively influence lipid metabolism. It must be emphasized
that the improvement in lipid metabolism was observed
only in the groups of rats fed a cholesterol-containing diet.
The positive influence on plasma lipids was high in the
groups of rats fed COR and Blend, which possess high
antioxidant potential. Therefore, it could be suggested that
the use of COR or blends containing COR with high
antioxidant potential by patients suffering from coronary
atherosclerosis would prevent development of this disease.

Conclusion
In conclusion, COR and Blend positively influence lipid
profile in plasma of rats. In spite of the limited PUFA
content, COR may have a significant hypocholesterolemic
effect on animals. This effect might be attributed to minor
components like sterols and tocopherols. The degree of
this positive influence is directly connected to the content
of total bioactives and the related total antiradical potential of the oil. The addition of COR with high
antioxidative potential to the generally accepted diet could
be beneficial in prevention of atherosclerosis, mainly in
hypercholesterolemic patients; however, it has to be
proved on human beings. Although coriander seeds have
been part of a supplemental diet in many parts of the
world, it is still hard to find COR in the oil market.
Bearing in mind the high price of coriander seed, blending
COR with other conventional vegetable oils may not only

1181

bring about a favorable circulating lipid profile, but may

also result in an economic advantageous price difference
in the market.
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