# Changes in Oil Quality and Peroxidase Activity during Germination of Rape Seeds and Mustard Seeds
## 3 Results and Discussion
### Changes in Fatty Acids during Seed Germination  
The rapeseed and white mustard oils showed their typical species-specific abundances of individual fatty acids as present in Figures 1 and 2, respectively. In rapeseed and mustard, oleic, linoleic, and linoleic acids were most common. Longer germination time resulted in increases in linoleic and linoleic acids in mustard oil. The linoleic acid concentration increased from 10.29% to 11.24% in mustard seed and the linoleic acid percentage increased from 17.17% to 18.07%. Linolenic acid also increased during sesame germination [35]. In mustard oil, the remaining acids represented less than 5% and did not alter with germination. A similar relationship has been shown when Peruvian quinoa (_Chenopodium quinoa_ [PERSON]) was germinated. Three varieties of Peruvian quinoa showed an increase in the percentage of linoleic and linoleic acids after two days of seed germination [13]. The concentration of linoleic acid in amaranth seeds also increased from 1.84% to 1.99% when germination was performed [14]. The percentage of fatty acids seen during germination has also been tested in seeds of sacha inchi (_Plukmetia volubilis_ L.), with an increase in linoleic and linolenic acids seen until day 6 of germination. A decrease in linoleic and linolenic acid abundances was also seen after the sixth day of germination, on account of the longer duration of this study. From the tenth day of germination, levels of palmitic and oleic acid began to increase [15]. In the initial period of germination, fatty acids are transformed into sugars, but first saturated fatty acids and monoenoic fatty acids are transformed, which increases the percentage of polyene fatty acids. Consuming polyunsaturated fatty acids protects, for example, against the inflammatory diseases, cancer and cardiovascular diseases [36].
increases. Changes in the amount of total sterols are greater. During 100 min of roasting, the amount of sterols increased by 6% [39]. Stigmasterol and \(\beta\)-sitosterol are important contributors to cell differentiation and proliferation [40]. Initially, the sterols present in the seeds are used for cell differentiation and proliferation and their amount in the fat fraction of the seed decreases. On the third day of germination, the synthesis of additional amounts of sterols began and the sterol level in the germinating seeds thus increases [41]. The germination of sunflower and rice seeds has been examined, and there is a gradual increase in sterol levels during the 5 days or 4 days of germination, respectively [16; 42].  
Figure 1: Fatty acid composition [%] of rapeseed oil on days 1, 2, and 3 of germination. 16:0—palmitic acid; 16:1—palmitoleic acid; 18:0—stearic acid; 18:1—oleic acid; 18:2—linoleic acid; 20:0—arachidic acid; 20:1—eicosenoic acid; 18:3 n-3—linolenic acid; 22:0—behenic acid (values are means \(\pm\) SD from three experiments. Values with different letters are significantly different (\(p<0.05\))).  
Figure 2: Fatty acid composition [%] of mustard oil on days 1, 2 and 3 of germination. 16:0—palmitic acid; 16:1—palmitoleic acid; 18:0—stearic acid; 18:1—oleic acid; 18:2—linoleic acid; 20:0—arachidic acid; 20:1—eicosenoic acid; 18:3 n-3—linolenic acid; 22:1—erucic acid (values are means \(\pm\) SD from three experiments. Values with different letters are significantly different (\(p<0.05\))).