Research Article
BibTex RIS Cite

Development and validation of a GC-FID method to quantify thymoquinone in black cumin seed oils

Year 2019, Volume: 23 Issue: 3, 506 - 513, 27.06.2025

Abstract

Black cumin (Nigella sativa L.) is a very popular medicinal plant around the world. Pharmacological effects have been widely studied over the years. It has an economic importance and being cultivated in many parts of Turkey and neighbour countries. Thymoquinone (TQ) is a volatile compound found in black cumin seeds and a major compound of its essential and fixed oils which has been reported as anticancer, antidiabetic, spasmolytic, immunomodulator, bronchodilator, antimicrobial, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant etc. The quality of black cumin seed oil depends on extraction technics (expression, super critic CO2 extraction etc.), quality of seeds, storage time and thymoquinone content. In this study we developed and validated a rapid quantification GC-FID method to determine the thymoquinone levels in seed oils which uses diethyl phthalate (DEP) as an internal standard.

References

  • [1] Cheikh-Rouhou S, Besbes S, Hentati B, Blecker C, Deroanne C, Atti H. Nigella sativa L.: Chemical composition and physicochemical characteristics of lipid fraction. Food Chem. 2007; 101(2): 673–681. [CrossRef]
  • [2] Macmudah S, Shiramizu Y, Motonubo G, Mitsuri S, Hirose T. Extraction of Nigella sativa L. using Supercritical CO₂: A study of antioxidant activity of the extract. Sep Sci Technol. 2015; 40(6): 1267–1275. [CrossRef]
  • [3] Ramadan MF. Nutritional value, functional properties and nutraceutical applications of black cumin (Nigella sativa L.): An overview. Int J Food Sci Tech. 2007; 42: 1208–1218. [CrossRef]
  • [4] Ali BH, Blunden G. Pharmacological and toxicological properties of Nigella sativa. Phytother Res. 2003; 17: 299–305. [CrossRef]
  • [5] Piras A, Rosa A, Marongiu B, Porcedda S, Falconieri D, Dessì MA, Ozcelik B, Koca U. Chemical composition and in vitro bioactivity of the volatile and fixed oils of Nigella sativa L. extracted by supercritical carbon dioxide. Ind Crops Prod. 2013; 46: 317–323. [CrossRef]
  • [6] Al-Jassir MS. Chemical composition and microflora of black cumin (Nigella sativa L.) seeds growing in Saudi Arabia. Food Chem. 1992; 45(4): 239–242. [CrossRef]
  • [7] Gali-Muhtasib H, Roessner A, Schneider-Stock R. Thymoquinone: A promising anti-cancer drug from natural sources. Int J Biochem Cell Biol. 2006; 38: 1249–1253. [CrossRef]
  • [8] Farag MA, El-Kersh DM, Rasheed DM, Heiss AG. Volatiles distribution in Nigella species (black cumin seeds) and in response to roasting as analyzed via solid-phase microextraction (SPME) coupled to chemometrics. Ind Crop Prod. 2017; 108: 564–571. [CrossRef]
  • [9] Velho-Pereira RM, Barhate CR, Kulkarni SR, Jagtap AG. Validated high-performance thin-layer chromatographic method for the quantification of thymoquinone in Nigella sativa extracts and formulations. Phytochem Anal. 2011; 22: 367–373. [CrossRef]
  • [10] Lutterodt H, Luther M, Slavin M, Yin JJ, Parry J, Gao JM, Yu L. Fatty acid profile, thymoquinone content, oxidative stability, and antioxidant properties of cold-pressed black cumin seed oils. LWT - Food Sci Technol. 2010; 43: 1409–1413. [CrossRef]
  • [11] Harzallah JH, Kouidhi B, Flamini G, Bakhrouf A, Mahjoub T. Chemical composition, antimicrobial potential against cariogenic bacteria and cytotoxic activity of Tunisian Nigella sativa essential oil and thymoquinone. Food Chem. 2011; 129: 1469–1474. [CrossRef]
  • [12] Kiralan M. Volatile compounds of black cumin seeds (Nigella sativa L.) from microwave-heating and conventional roasting. J Food Sci. 2012; 77: 481–484. [CrossRef]
  • [13] Viuda-Martos M, Mohamady MA, Fernández-López J, Abd ElRazik KA, Omer EA, Pérez-Alvarez JA, Sendra E. In vitro antioxidant and antibacterial activities of essentials oils obtained from Egyptian aromatic plants. Food Control. 2011; 22: 1715–1722. [CrossRef]
  • [14] Johnson-Ajinwo OR, Li WW. Stable isotope dilution gas chromatography–mass spectrometry for quantification of thymoquinone in black cumin seed oil. J Agric Food Chem. 2014; 62: 5466–5471. [CrossRef]
  • [15] Farag MA, Gad HA, Heiss AG, Wessjohann LA. Metabolomics driven analysis of six Nigella species seeds via UPLC-qTOF-MS and GC–MS coupled to chemometrics. Food Chem. 2014; 151: 333–342. [CrossRef]
  • [16] Jennings W. Gas Chromatography with Glass Capillary Columns. Academic Press, New York. 1980; 11: 173–182. [CrossRef]
  • [17] Taylor T. GC Temperature Programming—10 Things You Absolutely Need to Know. LCGC North America. 2015; 33(6): 438.
  • [18] International Conference on Harmonization (ICH), ICH Q2 (R1); Validation of Analytical Procedures: Text and methodology. International Conference on Harmonization, Geneva, Switzerland, 2005.
  • [19] Salea R, Widjojokusumo E, Hartanti AW, Veriansyah B, Tjandrawinata RR. Supercritical fluid carbon dioxide extraction of Nigella sativa (black cumin) seeds using Taguchi method and full factorial design. Biochem Compd. 2013; 1: 1. [CrossRef]
There are 19 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Subjects Pharmaceutical Chemistry
Journal Section Articles
Authors

İlker Demirbolat

Murat Kartal

Ünal Karık

Publication Date June 27, 2025
Published in Issue Year 2019 Volume: 23 Issue: 3

Cite

APA Demirbolat, İ., Kartal, M., & Karık, Ü. (2025). Development and validation of a GC-FID method to quantify thymoquinone in black cumin seed oils. Journal of Research in Pharmacy, 23(3), 506-513.
AMA Demirbolat İ, Kartal M, Karık Ü. Development and validation of a GC-FID method to quantify thymoquinone in black cumin seed oils. J. Res. Pharm. June 2025;23(3):506-513.
Chicago Demirbolat, İlker, Murat Kartal, and Ünal Karık. “Development and Validation of a GC-FID Method to Quantify Thymoquinone in Black Cumin Seed Oils”. Journal of Research in Pharmacy 23, no. 3 (June 2025): 506-13.
EndNote Demirbolat İ, Kartal M, Karık Ü (June 1, 2025) Development and validation of a GC-FID method to quantify thymoquinone in black cumin seed oils. Journal of Research in Pharmacy 23 3 506–513.
IEEE İ. Demirbolat, M. Kartal, and Ü. Karık, “Development and validation of a GC-FID method to quantify thymoquinone in black cumin seed oils”, J. Res. Pharm., vol. 23, no. 3, pp. 506–513, 2025.
ISNAD Demirbolat, İlker et al. “Development and Validation of a GC-FID Method to Quantify Thymoquinone in Black Cumin Seed Oils”. Journal of Research in Pharmacy 23/3 (June 2025), 506-513.
JAMA Demirbolat İ, Kartal M, Karık Ü. Development and validation of a GC-FID method to quantify thymoquinone in black cumin seed oils. J. Res. Pharm. 2025;23:506–513.
MLA Demirbolat, İlker et al. “Development and Validation of a GC-FID Method to Quantify Thymoquinone in Black Cumin Seed Oils”. Journal of Research in Pharmacy, vol. 23, no. 3, 2025, pp. 506-13.
Vancouver Demirbolat İ, Kartal M, Karık Ü. Development and validation of a GC-FID method to quantify thymoquinone in black cumin seed oils. J. Res. Pharm. 2025;23(3):506-13.