Image credit: fir0002, Wikimedia CommonsCHICAGO—The passion fruit is used around the world in juices, salads, syrups and even ice cream.  A team of researchers from the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil have discovered that the passion fruit seed oils, which are typically discarded in production, are a good source of nutrients and might be able to be used as edible oils in functional foods. Their findings are detailed in a recent study in the Journal of Food Science study, published by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT). 

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The yellow passion fruit seeds were found to have high antioxidant properties such as polyunsaturated fatty acids, linolenic acid, vitamin E, carotenoids, and polyphenols. These type of antioxidants are known to protect against lipid oxidation and might have beneficial effects on human health. 

Instead of just being a waste-product of passion fruit juice, the seeds could be used in the development of a diverse range of functional food products. In addition, the passion fruit seed oil possesses a smell similar to its juice that could potentially be used as an aromatic agent in food preparation.

Read the article in the Journal of Food Science