Abstract
The quality of olive oils is sensorially tested by accurate and well established methods. It enables the classification of the pressed oils into the classes of extra virgin oil, virgin oil and lampant oil. Nonetheless, it would be convenient to have analytical methods for screening oils or supporting sensorial analysis using a reliable independent approach based on exploitation of mass spectrometric methodologies. A number of methods have been proposed to evaluate deficiencies of extra virgin olive oils resulting from inappropriate technological treatments, such as high or low temperature deodoration, and home cooking processes. The quality and nutraceutical value of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) can be related to the antioxidant property of its phenolic compounds. Olive oil is a source of at least 30 phenolic compounds, such as oleuropein, oleocanthal, hydroxytyrosol, and tyrosol, all acting as strong antioxidants, radical scavengers and NSAI-like drugs. We now report the efficacy of MRM tandem mass spectrometry, assisted by the isotope dilution assay, in the evaluation of the thermal stability of selected active principles of extra virgin olive oil.
Highlights
The beneficial effects of the Mediterranean diet can be attributed to the high relationship between unsaturated and saturated fatty acids of olive oil, and to the antioxidant and antiinflammatory property of its phenolic compounds
Olive oil phenols have been beneficially linked to processes that contribute to the pathogenesis of heart disease and cancer [1]
Quality assessment can be carried out through the evaluation of selected markers whose thermal alteration may affect the quality of virgin olive oil
Summary
The beneficial effects of the Mediterranean diet can be attributed to the high relationship between unsaturated and saturated fatty acids of olive oil, and to the antioxidant and antiinflammatory property of its phenolic compounds. The major phenolic compounds, tyrosol, hydroxytyrosol, oleuropein, and oleocanthal, which give extra-virgin olive oil its bitter, pungent taste, have powerful antioxidant activity both in vivo and in vitro. Olive oil phenols have been beneficially linked to processes that contribute to the pathogenesis of heart disease and cancer [1]. One of the major phenolic constituent in olive oil, has been reported to alone reduce the risk of coronary heart disease and atherosclerosis [2,3], oleocanthal has been found to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties [4]. The profiling of changes in simple phenols present in olive oil over 18 months, showed, with respect to the total phenol content, an initial increase of tyrosol and hydroxytyrosol, which disappeared at the end of the period [8]. These virgin olive oils may be consumed raw in toasts, salads and other foodstuffs [11], but often they are consumed after domestic heating, such as frying, boiling, conventional and microwave heating [11]; these thermal treatments are commonly utilized for home cooking, food catering and industrial processes [12,13]
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