Evaluation of Biological activity in Algerian and Italian cultivars of Olea europeae L. extracts

Olea europaea L. is a typical fruit-tree widely cultivated in the Mediterranean area, belonging to Oleaceae family. The fruits and the oils are mainly studied for their alimentary use as important components in the daily diet of a large part of the world’s population. The growing interest in olives is due to secondary metabolites content and their role in human health. It is well-known that the decreased incidence of cardiovascular disease in the Mediterranean area has been partly attributed to the consumption of olive products (1). In this work, the identification and quantification of phenolic compounds in olive fruit extracts of two Algerian (Chamlal and Sigoise) and five Italians cultivars collected in Basilicata (Leccino, Ogliarola del Bradano, Maiatica, Frantoiana and Coratina) was carried out. Antioxidant activity using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl, ferric reducing antioxidant power and ß-carotene bleaching assays was also performed and Relative antioxidant capacity index was calculated (2). Fourteen compounds, indentified by HPLC-DAD HRMS analysis, can be divided into four classes: phenolic acids, flavonoids, phenolic alcohols and secoiridoids. There were no significant qualitative differences among samples, but it is possible to note important quantitative differences. Chemlal, between the Algerian cultivars, and Coratina, among Italians, demonstrated the highest content of polyphenols related to a higher radical scavenging activity and reducing power. The major contributors of their antioxidant activity were hydrotyrosol, and verbascoside. Results of our work revealed that there are significant differences among health promoting values of different Olea europaea cultivar due to the amount of bioactive compounds.