A recently published article focuses on the fatty acid composition as an important quality trait for extra virgin olive oil. In particular, a high content of oleic acid and low of linoleic, linolenic, and palmitic acid is considered relevant in health properties of the olive oil. FAD2-2 gene is the main responsible for the linoleic acid content in the olive fruit.
To obtain virgin olive oils of the best quality it is necessary the use of healthy olives and their good management along the production process. The poor management of mature olives could lead to ethanol and methanol production. When comparing healthy and unhealthy olives, significant differences were observed only for ethanol contents, but these differences were not always due to an unhealthy or poor state of the fruits, but to the variety. A wide range of polyphenols contained in table olives are responsible for their benefits on health and they have been associated with a lower prevalence of chronic diseases. The chromatographic column Eclipse-XDB-C18 is a new method to identify and quantify these compounds. Daily intake of 7 olives, provides an amount of hydroxytyrosol and derivatives of 5 mg, making them a promising functional food.
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