Phytochemicals and Other Characteristics of Croatian Monovarietal Extra Virgin Olive Oils from Oblica, Lastovka and Levantinka Varieties

Abstract

Virgin olive oils from the fruits of Croatian autochthonous varieties Oblica, Lastovka and Levantinka were characterized for the first time. Headspace volatiles were analyzed by HS-SPME/GC-FID/MS. The main volatiles were C6 compounds. The most abundant was (E)-hex-2-enal (62.60%-69.20%). (Z)-Hex-3-enal was not found in Lastovka oil, while Levantinka oil did not contain hexanal. Tocopherols, chlorophylls and carotenoids were determined by HPLC-FL. Levantinka oil was characterized by the highest α-tocopherol level (222.00 mg/kg). Total phenolic contents (TPs), as well as antioxidant activity (DPPH assay) of the oils hydrophilic fractions (HFs) were assessed by spectroscopic methods. The antioxidant activity of Oblica oil HF was the most pronounced (0.91 mmol TEAC/kg) and the HF contained the highest TPs amount (212.21 mg/kg). HFs phenolic composition was determined by HPLC-DAD. The main identified phenols were secoiridoids dominated in Oblica oil: decarboxymethyl ligstroside aglycone (p-HPEA-EDA up to 158.5 mg/kg), oleuropein aglycone (3,4-HPEA-EA up to 96.4 mg/kg) and decarboxymethyl oleuropein aglycon (3,4-DHPEA-EDA up to 93.5 mg/kg).

Volatile compounds of Algerian extra-virgin olive oils: Effects of cultivar and ripening stage

“…In the present study, hexanal was not found in Aaleh, Limli, and Mekki oil varieties. Similar results were also found by Šarolić et al [24] for Levantinka olive oil, a Croatian variety. This result could be explained by the low amount or lack of activity of the enzyme involved in the generation of hexanal in these varieties.…”

“…[19] The most prevalent C6 aldehyde present among five olive varieties was (E)-2-hexenal, with concentrations ranging from 10.74 to 26.51 mg/L (Table 2), this result is in accordance with the literature data obtained from other monovarietal olive oils. In fact, (E)-2-hexenal is the most abundant volatile compound in European, [23][24][25][26][27][28][29] Tunisian, [20,30] and Moroccan [21] olive oils. Surprisingly, EVOO obtained from the variety Ferkani did not contain (E)-2-hexenal (Table 2), whereas the latter was found at relatively low amounts in Aaleh and Abani varieties (2.26 and 0.38 mg/L, respectively).…”

The Effect of Olive Varieties on Fatty Acid Composition and Tocopherol Contents of Cold Pressed Virgin Olive Oils

“…The olive oil of Söbüaşı variety 36.02 mg/100 g was a significant source of α-tocopherol as compared to other varieties. The highest with literature values made on tocopherol contents of several olive oils 12,16,17 . These differences in tocopherol contents may be change depending on fruit varieties, harvest period, ripening stage of fruits or some enviromental factors.…”

Potential Health Benefits of Olive Oil and Plant Polyphenols

“…Extra virgin olive oil by its low yield is more expensive than other types of olive oil, but it contains the highest level of polyphenols [ 16 ]. Due to the removal of free fatty acids, extra virgin olive oil has a delicate flavor, aroma, and light color [ 14 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 ]. Another interesting feature affecting virgin olive oil properties is filtration.…”