Physicochemical evaluation, Nutritional Profiles, and Fatty Acid Composition in Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) and Linseed (Linum Usitatissimum) in Kamba District, Ethiopia

Groundnut and linseeds are the major oilseed crops of the world and are an important source of nutrients. This study aimed to evaluate the physicochemical properties, level of essential metals, and fatty acid profiles of groundnut and linseed in Kamba district, Gamo zone, Ethiopia. The results revealed that the highest saponification value (188. 4, 191. 67) mgKOH/g, acid value (0. 99, 1. 03) mgKOH/g, specific gravity (0. 92, 0. 94) \: ℃, peroxide value (1. 27, 1. 73) meq/kg, iodine value (98. 56, 176. 9) gI2/100 g, carbohydrate (21. 46, 21. 86) %, moisture (5. 03, 9. 01) %, ash (3. 8, 4. 74) %, fibre (10. 77, 14. 34) %, fat (50. 22, 39. 94) % and protein (19. 19, 21. 52) % were examined for groundnut and linseed, respectively. The outcomes indicated that most of physicochemical quality parameters were in acceptable range. The levels of minerals (mg/100 g) for sodium (Na), potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), iron (Fe), and zinc (Zn) were ranged from 25. 77 – 32. 3, 32. 28–40. 6, 74. 91–80. 56, 24. 62–27. 57, 3. 2–4. 49, 5. 5–5. 94 for groundnut, 21. 15–30. 5, 26. 38–38. 13, 84. 59–86. 48, 40. 48–56. 48, 3. 16–3. 48, 4. 11–4. 35 for linseed samples, respectively. The current analysis of essential minerals in groundnut and linseed revealed that Mg exhibited the highest level while Fe showed the lowest. The major fatty acids found in groundnut and linseed oils were oleic acid (C18: 1, 59. 4%) followed by linoleic acid (C18: 2, 29. 03%), and palmitic acid (C16: 0, 8. 95%) for groundnut and linolenic acid (C18: 3, 65. 1%), oleic acid (C18: 1, 15. 59%), linoleic acid (C18: 2, 12. 38%), and palmitic acid (C16: 0, 4. 57%) for linseed samples. Oleic acid is dominant in groundnut oils whereas linolenic acid is the prominent fatty acid in linseed oil. The principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to identify the significant variables that elucidate the relationship between particular quality characteristics to categorize any group patterns. The results showed that PC1 and PC2 explained 59. 60% and 40. 40% for groundnut, 52. 97% and 47. 03% variations for linseed samples, respectively. This study confirmed that the groundnut and linseed samples cultivated in the studied areas contain high oil content with good quality for consumption.