Abstract
The use of olive oil with cooking purposes, as final seasoning or within cooked foods is increasing worldwide due to its numerous nutritional and health benefits. These attributes are mainly determined by olive oil chemical composition, which can be altered after thermal processing, oxidation processes, or incorrect practices. For this reason, and due to the numerous factors which have influence in olive oil quality, the correct chemical characterization is highly relevant. In this study, fatty acid composition of four extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) varieties was studied. The major fatty acid (FA) determined was oleic acid (77.1% on average), followed by palmitic (11.5% on average). In addition, thermal oxidation behaviour of the four EVOO samples was studied as an indicator of their quality and stability during thermal processing. This was performed through differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) from a temperature of 40°C at six different heating rates in the range of 0.5–10°C min−1. DSC records showed the same pattern and a small shoulder in the thermo-oxidation peak was present for all samples and all heating rates. The presence of initial and final oxidation products (by monitoring K232 and K270 values, respectively) was discarded according to the International Olive Council method.
Highlights
Nowadays, 85% of the total fats consumed in the Mediterranean diet comes from olive oil, a vegetable oil whose consumption is associated with several health benefits such as lower incidence of cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and increased longevity [1]
Olive oil is composed by minor components, fraction constituted by compounds, which derive from triglycerides and liposoluble compounds. is minority fraction can be grouped in the following: diacylglycerols (DAGs), monoacylglycerols (MAGs), free fatty acids (FFAs), oxygenated fatty acids (OFAs), cyclic fatty acids, nonlinear FAs, dimeric FAs, and another compounds such phenols and pigments. e total of these compounds represents between 2 and 5% of the total composition [1]
Fatty Acids Composition of Extra Virgin Olive Oils. e fatty acid (FA) profile of olive oil is highly relevant, and it is considered as a parameter to characterize the diverse olive varieties since the quality of the fat has a direct impact on oil quality and on consumer health [16]
Summary
85% of the total fats consumed in the Mediterranean diet comes from olive oil, a vegetable oil whose consumption is associated with several health benefits such as lower incidence of cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and increased longevity [1]. Extraction must be made from healthy fruits, avoiding manipulation or treatments which could alter the chemical composition of olive oil during the extraction and storage process [3]. E group of major compounds in olive oil composition is triglycerides, which constitute between 92 and 98%. It contains fatty acids, which contribute 94–96% of the total weight of triglycerides. In this fraction, six are major compounds: oleic (55.2–86.6%), palmitic (6.30–20.9%), linoleic (2.7–20.2%), stearic (0.32–5.33%), palmitoleic (0.32–3.52%), and linolenic (0.11–1.52%). Olive oil is composed by minor components, fraction constituted by compounds, which derive from triglycerides and liposoluble compounds. Olive oil is composed by minor components, fraction constituted by compounds, which derive from triglycerides and liposoluble compounds. is minority fraction can be grouped in the following: diacylglycerols (DAGs), monoacylglycerols (MAGs), free fatty acids (FFAs), oxygenated fatty acids (OFAs), cyclic fatty acids, nonlinear FAs (branched FAs), dimeric FAs, and another compounds such phenols and pigments. e total of these compounds represents between 2 and 5% of the total composition [1]
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