Nutritional Composition, Fatty Acid Profile, and Biochemical Characteristics of Six Varieties of Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L) Seed, and Cottonseed Oil Cultivated in Northern Nigeria

Abstract

Although Gossypium hirsutum oil is ranked among the top six vegetable oils globally, however, in Nigeria, G. hirsutum oil remains underexploited and underutilized. Consequently, the objective of this paper was to evaluate the nutritional composition, fatty acid profile, and biochemical characteristics of six varieties of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L) seed, and cottonseed oil cultivated in northern Nigeria using appropriate standard procedures. The results revealed notable differences in the characters examined among the six varieties. SAMCOT-8 had the highest (p < 0.05) seed protein content (22.17 %), while SAMCOT-12 recorded significantly higher fibre (17.00 %), carbohydrate (60.87 %), and magnesium (72.46 %) contents. SAMCOT-13 revealed the highest arachidic (1.76 %) and palmitic acid (10.74 %) levels, and SAMCOT-11 had the highest (p < 0.05) oil content (18.00 %), oxalic acid (5.71 %), and linoleic acid (12.72 %) contents. Significant variability was also observed in the physical properties of the oil across the six cotton varieties, except for specific gravity, which showed no significant difference (p > 0.05). These attributes could be exploited for the improvement of various traits by cotton breeders and researchers in future cotton breeding programs.