Study of the phenolic composition of spanish and italian monocultivar extra virgin olive oils: distribution of lignans, secoiridoidic, simple phenols and flavonoids.

The aim of the present study was to compare the phenolic content in selected monocultivar extra virgin olive oils. Analyses were carried out by HPLC/DAD/MS on Picual, Picuda, Arbequina and Hojiblanca oils from Spain and Seggianese and Taggiasca oils from Italy. Oils from cultivar Picual showed similar characteristics to those of Seggianese oils, with total amounts of secoiridoids of 498.7 and 619.2 mg/L, respectively. The phenolic composition of Arbequina oils is close to that of the Taggiasca variety with lignans among the main compounds. The determination of free and linked OH–Tyr, by way of an acid hydrolysis, represents a rapid and suitable method, especially when standards are not available, to determine antioxidant potentialities in terms of MPC, particularly for fresh extra virgin olive oils rich in secoiridoidic derivatives.