Effect of Geographical Origin and Shelling Processing on the Nutritional Components of Hempseed Oil

Hempseed oil, a high-quality edible oil, has garnered increasing attention. In this study, fatty acid, phenols, tocopherols, phytosterols, squalene, and antioxidant activity of hempseed oils were detected by gas chromatography, liquid chromatography, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to analyze the effects of the region and processing method on the nutrition and quality of hempseed oil, identified the optimal cultivation region and key marker for distinguishing between different processing methods. The results demonstrated that hempseed oils were rich in tocopherols (84.35±15.65 mg/100 g) and possessed a desirable fatty acid composition (ω-6: ω-3 =1: 3.59) that meets human nutritional needs. Furthermore, hempseed oil exhibited strong antioxidant activity, with γ-tocopherols and phenols identified as the primary antioxidants. More importantly, the nutritional components of hempseed oil were influenced by region and processing method. Specifically, hempseed oil from Bama exhibited significantly higher contents of squalene (13.88 mg/100 g) and total phytosterols (342.23 mg/100 g) than the ones from other regions (squalene: 11.04 mg/100 g; phytosterols: 247.53 mg/100 g). Meanwhile, squalene content increased significantly by 16.47% in shelled hempseed oil compared to unshelled oil. Moreover, OPLS-DA analysis identified total phenol content as a marker distinguishing shelled from unshelled hempseed oils (shelled: 11.80 mg/100 g, unshelled: 3.51 mg/100 g).