Abstract
Virgin olive oil (VOO) is a functional food specific to the Mediterranean diet and related to human health, especially as a protector of cardiovascular health, in the prevention of several types of cancers, and in modification of immune and inflammatory response. Phenolic compounds have central importance for these extraordinary health benefits. In the production of high-quality olive oils, it is very important to process freshly picked olives and avoid any storage of fruits. However, in Croatia there is a very traditional and environmentally friendly method of olive oil production, where olive fruits are stored in seawater for some time prior to processing. This practice is also notable nowadays since there are people who prefer the characteristic flavor of the “seawater olive oil”, although some people argue against its quality and biomedical relevance. In this study, the phenolic contents of VOO prepared from the immediately processed fresh olives and olives processed after storage in seawater were compared with the use of high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) and spectrophotometric analysis. The results suggest that “seawater olive oil” should be considered as a safe food of biomedical relevance, as it still contains a significant proportion of important phenolics like hydroxytyrosol, tyrosol and oleacein (e.g., 63.2% of total phenols in comparison to VOO).
Highlights
Most of the extra virgin olive oils (EVOOs) of the highest quality from the Croatian coastal region and isles of the Adriatic Sea are obtained by pressing freshly picked olives and avoiding any storage of fruits before common mechanical processing
There are people who prefer the characteristic flavor of the “seawater olive oil” in contrast to others who have claimed that this olive oil is inferior in any way in comparison with oils obtained using a common modern practice
In this study the comparison of the phenolic profile of Virgin olive oil (VOO) prepared from immediately processed fresh olive fruits, and VOO-Sea prepared from fruits that were kept in seawater for ten days before processing, was performed
Summary
Most of the extra virgin olive oils (EVOOs) of the highest quality from the Croatian coastal region and isles of the Adriatic Sea are obtained by pressing freshly picked olives and avoiding any storage of fruits before common mechanical processing. A very traditional method of olive oil production in Croatia (the storage of olive fruits in seawater for some time prior to processing into oil) is frequently used in the coastal area and isles. There are people who prefer the characteristic flavor of the “seawater olive oil” (that is, the oil obtained from olives stored for some time in seawater) in contrast to others who have claimed that this olive oil is inferior in any way in comparison with oils obtained using a common modern practice.
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