Physicochemical and phytonutrients Evaluation of Arbequina Extra Virgin Olive oil Cultivated Recently in Egypt

Abstract

This study was conducted in the Department of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Horticulture Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center, Dokki, in cooperation with the Food Science and Technology Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, season 2016, Varieties of the olive cultivar Arbequina have recently been cultivated in Egypt. The objective of the study is to characterize and evaluate extra virgin olive oils (EVOO) produced from Arbequina grown in two places in Egypt, is Sheikh Zuid Station, the North Sinai Governorate - Center for Desert Research (NS), El Taal al kabeer area , Ismailia (IS), The aim was of the study to evaluate effective nutritive value in the extracted fruits oils, chemical and physical study of those components, 40 kg of ripe seeds were collected from two places (SN ), (IS), and oil extraction, store at 4 ° C until used.the (NS) and (IS) regions of Egypt. Major and minor components such as carotenoids, squalene, phenolics and tocopherols were studied to assess their effects on product quality and health benefits. Samples were to determine fatty acids composition, sterol composition, TAG profile and squalene content. Individual phenolic fractions were analyzed by LC–MS/MS and tocopherol isomers were determined by HPLC. According to the results obtained from this study; Total phenolic content (TPC) of the samples were 454.68 and 50.86 mg as Gallic acid/kg oil for (NS) and (IS), respectively. Hydroxytyrosol and tyrosol were the main phenols. The major tocopherol isomer found in (NS) and (IS) was α-tocopherol with levels of 179.55 and 202.5 mg/kg oil, respectively. β-Carotene levels in both samples were similar at 0.2 mg/ kg. Findings of this study were compared with the literature on Arbequina olive oil produced in different countries. It was determined that Arbequina olive oil of high quality can be produced in Egypt, especially in the North Sinai Governorate (NS).