INVESTIGADORES
CULZONI Maria Julia
capítulos de libros
Título:
Olive Oil: Production and Nutritional Properties
Autor/es:
MA. DEL PILAR GODOY CABALLERO; MA. ISABEL ACEDO VALENZUELA; TERESA GALEANO DÍAZ; H. C. GOICOECHEA; M.J. CULZONI
Libro:
Virgin Olive Oil: Production, Composition, Uses and Benefits for Man
Editorial:
Nova Science Publishers, Inc
Referencias:
Lugar: New York; Año: 2014; p. 143 - 163
Resumen:
Virgin olive oil
(VOO) is one of the basic components of the Mediterranean diet and its
importance, due fundamentally to its nutritional and sensory characteristics,
is currently known. The extraordinary properties of VOO derive from its content
in hydrophilic phenolic compounds, which are only present in VOO and
differentiate it from all the other vegetable oils used by humans. There are
many published works related to the VOO properties as well as to its content in
phenolic compounds. In the present chapter, a complete review of the most
interesting aspects of VOO production and its nutritional properties is
presented. On one hand, both the quantitative and qualitative composition of
VOO in phenolic compounds is affected by the agronomical and technological
aspects of production. The cultivar, the fruit ripeness, the climatic
conditions and the agronomical techniques, such as irrigation, are the
agronomical most influential factors and, as a consequence, more widely
studied. Regarding the technological aspects of production, the presence of
phenolic compounds in VOO is related to the activity of endogenous enzymes
present in the olive fruit. Therefore, the extraction conditions, as well as
the extraction system, greatly affect their concentration in VOO. On the other
hand, phenolic compounds are considered as a very important part of the fruit
defense chemical system. Diverse functions, such as its antimicrobial activity
and its protection against the oxidative damages are attributed to these
compounds. In addition, they are responsible for the VOO oxidation stability
and for its sensory properties, and have been identified as the main components
providing antioxidant properties to this food. Besides to the sensory
properties and antioxidant activity, the current interest in phenolic compounds
and VOO is based on their important nutritional and biological properties.