Seed composition of ten industrial hemp cultivars approved for production in Canada

The objective of this study was to determine the seed chemical composition of ten industrial hemp cultivars grown in Québec. The fatty acid and tocopherol composition, as well as the concentrations of crude protein, oil, ash, cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin were quantified. The seed oil concentration varied between 269 and 306 g/kg, while the crude protein concentration ranged between 238 and 280 g/kg. The hemp seed oil is mainly composed of unsaturated fatty acids, and the dominant fatty acids are linoleic acid (597 g/kg) and α-linolenic acid (170 g/kg). For all ten cultivars, γ-tocopherol was present at a much higher concentration than δ-tocopherol (2481 vs. 774 μg/g). Out of the ten cultivars analyzed, Anka was the richest in phenolics (5.16 g/100 g), whereas CRS-1 had the lowest phenolic content (1.37 g/100 g). Seed ash concentration ranged between 51 and 58 g/kg, while neutral detergent fibre and acid detergent fibre concentrations ranged between 327 and 388, and 259 and 298 g/kg, respectively. In conclusion, our results reveal noticeable differences among cultivars in terms of the essential fatty acid, oil, protein, and antioxidant content of industrial hemp seed. Collectively, this study suggests that the seed of Canada-grown hemp is a balanced health product.