Vegetos
(An International Journal of Plant Research & Biotechnology)
A preliminary study of the effect of geographical origin on the yield and chemical composition of almond oils of Al-Hoceima region in Morocco
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Research Articles | Published: 19 August, 2025
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Keywords: Almond oil, Provenance, Fatty acids, Principal component analysis, Hierarchical cluster analysis
Abstract
This study aimed to examine how the geographic origin of different sweet and bitter almond samples affects the yield and quality of almond oil from five sites within the Al-Hoceima province of Morocco. Eight almond samples were collected from harvest sites across varying altitudes and slope inclinations. Principal component analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis were employed to determine similarities among the samples based on the almond type and harvest site. Almond oil’s morphological and physicochemical parameters were determined according to the official methods. The chemical composition of the almond oils was analysed via gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. The results indicated that the average oil yield values ranged from 47.28 ± 1.79% to 58.7 ± 1.31% across the different sites. The predominant fatty acid was oleic acid, accounting for 72.43%, followed by linoleic acid at 18.76% and palmitic acid at 6.46%. Statistical analyses revealed relative variation in the traits studied for all the samples and sites. Factors such as altitude, slope inclination, and kernel dimensions (weight, width, and length) significantly influenced oil yield, with almonds from higher altitude areas yielding the highest oil content.
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Author Information
Environmental Technology, Biotechnology, and Valorization of Bio- resources Team. Laboratory of Research and Development in Engineering Sciences, Faculty of Science and Techniques Al-Hoceima, Abdelmalek Essaadi University, Tetouan, Morocco