General objective of the present work was to assess the isolation of polyphenols from olive leaves. The effects of extraction conditions on the total phenol content and antioxidant activity of olive leaf extract (OLE) were investigated. An extract with good antioxidant activity (7.52 mmol of Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC)/g olive leaf extract), and a high content of oleuropein (13.4%) and rutin (0.18%) could be obtained using 70% ethanol as extraction solvent. There was a good correlation between the antioxidant activity and the total phenol content. Furthermore, silk fibroin was used as a novel adsorbent to recover the polyphenols from the olive leaf extracts. The adsorbed amounts of rutin and oleuropein were 15 mg rutin/g silk fibroin and 96 mg oleuropein/g silk fibroin. Fraction consisting of mainly oleuropein and fraction rich in rutin, luteolin-7-glucoside, verbascoside, apigenin-7-glucoside were obtained by using silk fibroin filled column. Silk fibroin was found to be a promising adsorbent for the purification of oleuropein and rutin from olive leaf extracts.

The adsorption isotherms of oleuropein and rutin were evaluated at different temperatures, pH values, and solid/liquid ratios. The experimental data of adsorption isotherms were well fitted to a Langmuir model. The maximum adsorption capacities were determined as 108 mg of oleuropein/g of silk fibroin and 21 mg of rutin/g of silk fibroin. After adsorption of oleuropein and rutin, the antioxidant capacity of silk fibroin increased from 1.93 to 3.61 mmol of TEAC/g. Silk fibroin also gained antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella pneumoniae after adsorption of olive leaf antioxidants. In a desorption process, 81% of rutin and 85% of oleuropein were removed from the adsorbent surface in 70% aqueous ethanol solution. Consequently, silk fibroin was found to be a promising biomaterial for the production of functional food or dietary supplements and for the purification of oleuropein and rutin from olive leaf extracts.