Abstract
The health benefits of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) are related to its chemical composition and the presence of bioactive compounds with antioxidant properties. The aim of this study was to evaluate antioxidant compounds (pigments, coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) and phenolic compounds) and antioxidant properties of EVOO from the same region comparing different cultivars (Hojiblanca and Arbequina), harvest year and crop stage. Antioxidant properties of oils were studied before and after a gastrointestinal digestion process, by in vitro assays (DPPH, ABTS and FRAP) and antioxidant markers in Caco-2 cells (reactive oxygen species production). The content of bioactive compounds measured was significantly affected by cultivar and harvest year (except for carotenoids) and by the crop stage (except for coenzyme Q10). Higher amounts of coenzyme Q10 were observed in Hojiblanca than in Arbequina EVOO. Total phenol content and antioxidant properties were also different depending on cultivar and harvest year and the in vitro digestion process strongly improved antioxidant marker values. Antioxidant potential in bioaccessible fractions was mainly related to the content of coenzyme Q10 and phenolic compounds in EVOO. Chemometric analysis showed that the oils were clearly classified by cultivars, harvest and crop stage, according to the chemical composition and antioxidant activity analyzed in the present study.
Highlights
The health benefits of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) are significantly attributed to its high antioxidant potential, which, in turn, is deeply linked to its chemical composition [1]
Flavonoids represented the majority group of the phenolic compounds determined in the present assay in all the EVOO analyzed, ranging from 42% of the total detected in Hojiblanca EVOO 2014, stage 2, to 91% in Arbequina 2014, stage 2
It has been described that oxidation of phenolic compounds occurs with ripening, but the oxidation rate strongly depends on the cultivar, which may be related to the different distributions of the endogenous oxidoreductases in the pulp and the seed of the olive fruit [28]
Summary
The health benefits of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) are significantly attributed to its high antioxidant potential, which, in turn, is deeply linked to its chemical composition [1]. Antioxidants 2019, 8, 217 reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and are commonly applied in chemical extracts of the oils [6] These methods may be useful to determine the oil oxidative stability of the oil, but the biological effect of antioxidant compounds in vivo will depend on their bioavailability [7]. In this sense, it is accepted that the primary requisite for a bioactive compound to exert an antioxidant activity in vivo is to be bioaccessible, i.e., be released from the from matrix during the digestive process and, maintain its properties after the biotransformations caused by the gastrointestinal digestion [8]
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