Abstract
Olive oil is the main source of fat in the Mediterranean diet and the most frequently used ingredient in Mediterranean cuisine. Cooking with olive oil has been attracting attention because it can act as a food excipient, thereby increasing the bioaccessibility and bioavailability of ingested bioactive compounds. The aim of this study was to understand the effect of cooking with olive oil on the bioactive components in other ingredients (tomato, onion, and garlic) of sofrito sauce, a representative model of Mediterranean cuisine. After the cooking process, polyphenols from tomato, onion, and garlic were detected in the olive oil, especially naringenin, ferulic acid, and quercetin, as well as a high content of carotenoid Z-isomers, which are more bioavailable than the E-isomers. Therefore, traditional Mediterranean cuisine could play an important role in the health-improving effects of the Mediterranean diet.
Highlights
The Mediterranean diet, characterized by a high intake of phytochemicals from vegetables and legumes, has been correlated with improvements in cardiovascular and metabolic health [1,2].This association is supported by evidence from the intervention trial PREDIMED, a Mediterranean diet reference study with more than 7000 participants, in which a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) reduce the risk of cardiovascular events among high-risk population [2].Similar results have been observed in other Mediterranean diet clinical trials [3]
The content of each polyphenol typically found in tomato was quantified by the validated Tomato method, which was used to quantify polyphenols in onion and garlic
The health benefits of dietary phenolic compounds depend on their absorption and bioavailability, which can be affected by differences in cell wall structure, glycoside location in cells, and especially by binding with the food matrix [21]
Summary
The Mediterranean diet, characterized by a high intake of phytochemicals from vegetables and legumes, has been correlated with improvements in cardiovascular and metabolic health [1,2].This association is supported by evidence from the intervention trial PREDIMED, a Mediterranean diet reference study with more than 7000 participants, in which a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) reduce the risk of cardiovascular events among high-risk population [2].Similar results have been observed in other Mediterranean diet clinical trials [3]. The Mediterranean diet, characterized by a high intake of phytochemicals from vegetables and legumes, has been correlated with improvements in cardiovascular and metabolic health [1,2]. This association is supported by evidence from the intervention trial PREDIMED, a Mediterranean diet reference study with more than 7000 participants, in which a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) reduce the risk of cardiovascular events among high-risk population [2]. It may improve the bioavailability of phytochemicals by altering chemical structures and releasing bioactive compounds from the food matrix [1,4,5]
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