Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
a member of the vitamin E group, whose
importance compared to the long preferred
alpha-tocopherol has only recently been recog-
nized. Finally, hemp oil contains relatively high
concentrations of phytosterols, compounds
known to reduce total and LDL cholesterol.
leucine and lysine, than meat, egg white and
soya. In contrast, it has a higher content of
arginine, an amino acid, which boosts the pro-
duction of nitric oxide, a compound that relaxes
blood vessels, and thus may help treat angina
and other cardiovascular problems. Thus, one
would not want to rely on hemp seeds as the
only source of protein; rather, complement it
with meat, dairy or tofu.
16.4.2 Protein, vitamins, minerals
and other micronutrients
Minerals and vitamins
We know much less about the composition and
content of other nutrients in hemp seed and oil,
particularly vitamins, minerals and other micro-
nutrients. The scattered data do not yet provide
a comprehensive picture of the level of some of
these nutrients and their variability as a function
of variety and growing conditions. The follow-
ing sections summarize what we know today.
Table 16.2 summarizes typical concentra-
tions of minerals and vitamins in whole and
hulled hemp seeds. It also shows the percent-
age of the recommended daily intake of key
nutrients supplied by 30 g of whole or hulled
seed. Compared to their energy content of
about 8% of typical daily intake, hemp seeds
and nuts provide a much higher fraction of
the daily needs of phosphorus, potassium,
magnesium, manganese and several B vitamins.
This makes hemp seeds
nutrient dense
and
a good, or even very good, source of several
of these nutrients. Particularly interesting is
their comparatively high magnesium con-
tent, as magnesium is deficient in the diet of
many Westerners and is also not sufficiently
available in commonly taken multivitamin/
mineral pills. As with other nuts, hemp seeds
are not a good source of Vitamins A and D.
Table 16.2 indicates that hemp oil is not a
particularly good source of vitamin E. But
this conclusion derives from the calculation
method by which tocopherols, that is, the
members of the vitamin E complex, are con-
verted into vitamin E equivalents. Hemp oil
Macronutrients
Figures 16.5 and 16.6 show the typical com-
position of whole and hulled hemp seeds. Most
carbohydrates are present in the hull, that is,
non-digestible dietary fibre, rather than sugar
or starch. The fat or oil content in whole seeds
may vary between 30 and 34%.
Protein
Hemp protein contains all nine essential amino
acids in a reasonably well-balanced ratio. As is
common with other vegetable proteins, except
for soya protein, hemp protein contains a
lower proportion of the essential amino acids,
Composition of whole
hemp seed
Composition of hemp nut
Moisture
5%
Moisture
5%
Ash
6%
Ash
6%
Fat
32%
Fat
44%
Carbohydrates
12%
Carbohydrates
34%
Protein
33%
Protein
23%
Fig. 16.5.
Typical composition of whole hemp
seed.
Fig. 16.6.
Typical composition of hulled hemp
seeds (nuts).
