Impact of Plastic Packaging Materials and Storage Time on the Quality Parameters of Lebanese Extra Virgin Olive Oil under Real-Time Storage Conditions

Carla Zarazir,Tayssir Hamieh,Joumana Toufaily,Houssam Obeid,Mohamad Rajab,Imad Toufeili

doi:10.4236/ajac.2019.1012046

Abstract

Scarce information is currently available relative to the use of polymeric materials as storage containers for extra virgin olive oil. This paper was devoted to study and compare the impact of glass and 3 types of packaging materials—polyethylene terephthalate (PET), high density polyethylene (HDPE), and polylactic acid (PLA) on Lebanese extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) up to 9 months under non-accelerated storage conditions. The acidity, peroxide value (PV), K232, K270, fatty acid profile, overall migration, and oil sorption into the packaging material were determined. Conventional titration, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and spectrophotometry were used to quantify the outcome measures at baseline, 3, 5, 7, and 9 months. Mixed model ANOVA was applied to assess differences according to polymer type and storage period at P 232 and K270), migration, and sorption significantly increased with increasing storage time for oil in contact with glass and plastic materials, especially between the 7th and 9th month of storage. Overall, PLA showed the least deterioration and interaction phenomena compared with PET and HDPE. While glass remains the best container for EVOO, PLA could potentially replace PET and HDPE for short-time storage under conventional storage conditions in Lebanese households.

Highlights

Olive oil has been widely used for centuries in the Mediterranean diet for its distinctive organoleptic and nutritional characteristics [1] [2]
The results showed that increasing storage time negatively affected the quality parameters of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) in contact with glass and plastic materials leading to increased acidity, peroxide value (PV), and extinction coefficients K232 and K270
Based on the results of the present study, the following conclusions can be drawn: 1) Under real-time storage conditions in a Lebanese household, the quality parameters of Lebanese EVOO deteriorated when in contact with glass, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), high density polyethylene (HDPE), and polylactic acid (PLA) polymers, especially between the 7th and 9th month of storage which coincide with warmest months of the year

Summary

Introduction

Olive oil has been widely used for centuries in the Mediterranean diet for its distinctive organoleptic and nutritional characteristics [1] [2]. According to the Observatory of the International Olive Council [3], the global demand for olive oil has increased rapidly in the last 25 years, and the consumption share of countries that are not yet part of the IOC has practically tripled. EVOO is highly stable [6], it undergoes, from extraction to storage, oxidative and hydrolytic deterioration, termed “rancidity” attributed to lipid enzymatic hydrolysis and oxidation with partial loss of the oil characteristic sensory attributes and nutritional value [7]. These two naturally occurring and inter-related processes generate glycerol and free fatty acids (lipolysis) and peroxides from these fatty acids (primary oxidation). Peroxides are unstable compounds which are further oxidized to produce volatile and non-volatile components responsible for the off-flavors and undesirable aromas in the oil (secondary oxidation)

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Conclusion