Evaluating Quality Parameters, the Metabolic Profile, and Other Typical Features of Selected Commercial Extra Virgin Olive Oils from Brazil

Aline Gabrielle Alves De Carvalho,Vanessa Naciuk Castelo-Branco,Alegría Carrasco-Pancorbo,Alexandre Guedes Torres,Lucía Olmo-García,Bruna Rachel Antunes Gaspar

doi:10.3390/molecules25184193

Abstract

The production of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) in Brazil developed quite recently, and information on commercial Brazilian EVOO’s typical features is very scarce. In just one of the previously published works on Brazilian olive oil, the assessed samples were commercially available. In this study, a comprehensive characterization of EVOO samples acquired at local stores (at Rio de Janeiro and Rio Grande do Sul, from the two most prevalent cultivars, Arbequina and Koroneiki) was carried out considering the most relevant quality parameters, antioxidant capacity, oxidative stability, total phenolic content, fatty acid composition, and minor component metabolic profiling. The latter included: (1) the determination of individual phenolic compounds (belonging to four diverse chemical classes) and triterpenic acids by means of a powerful multi-class reversed-phase LC-MS method; (2) the quantitative profiling of tocopherols, phytosterols, and pigments by normal-phase LC-DAD/fluorescence; and (3) the quantitative appraisal of the volatile pattern of the oils by solid-phase microextraction (SPME)-gas chromatography (GC)-MS. By applying these methods, the concentrations of approximately 70 minor compounds were determined in commercial EVOOs from Brazil. To the best of our knowledge, the content of a very large number of phenolic compounds of those determined in the current report (mainly secoiridoids), the three triterpenic acids (maslinic, betulinic, and oleanolic acids), and the individual chlorophyll derivatives had not been previously evaluated in Brazilian EVOOs. The present work provides a broad picture of the compositional profile and other parameters of relevance of selected commercial Brazilian EVOOs available on local markets, describing their typicity and most particular features, some of which are known to have potential impacts on consumers’ health.

Highlights

Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is a well-known source of oleic acid and bioactive compounds, presenting a high potential for offering health benefits [1]
EVOOs from Brazil presented free acidity values, peroxide values, and specific extinction coefficients (K232 and K270 ) within the limits established by the International
The present work contributes to drawing a picture of Brazilian commercial monovarietal Arbequina and Koroneiki olive oils, showing that the chemical quality attributes of these Brazilian oils are comparable to those found in some of the most consistent production regions in the world, in terms of the quality indices, antioxidant capacity, oxidative stability, total phenolic content, fatty acid composition, and metabolic profiling of minor components, which are known to have an impact on consumers’ health

Summary

Introduction

Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is a well-known source of oleic acid and bioactive compounds, presenting a high potential for offering health benefits [1]. EVOO from tropical and sub-tropical areas, such as Brazil, might present different chemical composition and a distinct metabolic profile in comparison with EVOO from traditional production areas [5]. The production of EVOO has recently emerged in Brazil, with the first batches being produced in 2008 in the Mantiqueira mountain range [7], and the first commercial EVOO reaching the market in the early 2010s

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Conclusion