Abstract
This study aimed to evaluate the quality of oils available on the Italian market and purchased directly from the mill or in the supermarket and labelled as extra virgin olive oils (EVOOs). As one of the most relevant foods of the Mediterranean diet and recognized as a functional food if regularly consumed, the quality of EVOO needs to be continuously monitored. Different analytical protocols were applied. The spectrophotometric parameters used to classify the extra virgin olive oils—a CIEL*a*b*color analysis and the quali-quantitative analysis of bioactive molecules by HPLC-DAD detection and the anti-radical activity, by the DPPH method, were evaluated and compared among the samples. This study confirmed a very high variation in terms of quality, both in oils purchased directly from mills throughout Italy, but also in oils labeled as “100% of Italian origin”. Due to the high variability reconfirmed in the monitored samples, it is necessary to carry out a capillary control, not limited only to the parameters indexed by law. A useful complementary method could be represented by reflectance colorimetric analysis.
Highlights
The prevention of cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, diabetes, inflammation, oxidative stress, gut microbiota alteration, and liver disease exerted by the traditional Mediterranean diet, enriched with further integration of extra virgin olive oils (EVOOs), nuts, and pistachios, is well-known and recognized by the whole scientific community [1,2,3,4].The multiple protective effects exerted by EVOO, the main fat source of the Mediterranean diet and commonly recognized as a functional food, are widely reported and generally attributed to its high content of minor components
This study aimed to evaluate the quality of oils available on the Italian market and purchased directly from the mill or in the supermarket and labelled as extra virgin olive oils (EVOOs)
The phenyl alcohols tyrosol and hydroxytyrosol (p-(hydroxyphenyl)ethanol and 3,4-(dihydroxyphenyl)ethanol), the secoiridoid oleuropein, flavonols, and lignans, all belonging to the polyphenolic fraction, as well as the balance among monounsaturated, saturated, and polyunsaturated fatty acids and the antioxidant potential exerted by tocopherols and carotenoids, can contribute to the health benefits associated with EVOO consumption [5,6,7,8,9]
Summary
The prevention of cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, diabetes, inflammation, oxidative stress, gut microbiota alteration, and liver disease exerted by the traditional Mediterranean diet, enriched with further integration of extra virgin olive oils (EVOOs), nuts, and pistachios, is well-known and recognized by the whole scientific community [1,2,3,4].The multiple protective effects exerted by EVOO, the main fat source of the Mediterranean diet and commonly recognized as a functional food, are widely reported and generally attributed to its high content of minor components. 2568/91 [10], completed and revised by the EU Regulation 1604/2019 [11], defines all the parameters required to classify an extra virgin olive oil. Besides belonging to this class, extra virgin olive oils could present many different characters in terms of color, bioactive content, antioxidant properties, and retail price. The EU Regulation 432/2012 [12] defines the health claims for olive oil polyphenols indicating that “olive oil polyphenols contribute to the protection of blood lipids from oxidative stress”, and specifies that “the claim may be used only for olive oil which contains at least 5 mg of hydroxytyrosol and its derivatives per 20 g of olive oil” and that “the beneficial effect is obtained with a daily intake of 20 g of olive oil”
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