Sacha Inchi Oil

Sacha inchi oil is expressed from the shelled seed of Plukenetia volubilis L., a climbing vine of the Euphorbiaceae from the Amazon basin, whose distinctive four- to seven-lobed star-shaped capsules give the crop its recognisable field appearance. The seed is one of the few non-marine sources that delivers omega-3 and omega-6 in a near-balanced ratio: alpha-linolenic acid (C18:3 n-3, CAS 463-40-1) dominates the profile, with authentic Peruvian and Ecuadorian oil reported at 46-51% ALA, followed by linoleic acid at 33-37% and oleic acid at 8-10%. Total polyunsaturates run roughly 78-84% of the fatty acid pool, saturates only 7-9%. Thovek standardises to a floor of 45% ALA by GC-FID so that formulators can dose against a guaranteed number rather than a typical one. The minor fraction is unusually rich. Commercial oils carry 700-3300 mg/kg total tocopherols, averaging around 2220 mg/kg, with gamma-tocopherol the leading homologue, delta-tocopherol second and alpha-tocopherol present only in traces. Total sterols run about 1620-2900 mg/kg, mostly beta-sitosterol. That native tocopherol load is part of why the oil holds up in a softgel or a bottled culinary format better than its iodine value, around 192-193 g I2/100 g, would suggest. Authenticity is the practical risk in this trade. Analytical surveys of commercial sacha inchi oil have found samples whose fatty acid ratios and sterol profiles indicate dilution with cheaper seed oils, which is why every Thovek lot carries both a GC fatty acid profile and a sterol profile rather than an ALA figure alone. Commercially the oil is straightforward on the compliance side: it is plant-derived, vegan and vegetarian, contains no milk, egg, soy, fish, crustacean, gluten or tree-nut input, and despite trade names such as Inca peanut and sacha peanut it is botanically unrelated to peanut, Arachis hypogaea of the Fabaceae, so it is not a peanut allergen. In the European Union it is an authorised novel food, listed for labelling as Sacha inchi oil (Plukenetia volubilis).