Estudio de la capacidad antioxidante y la biodisponibilidad de los compuestos fenólicos del aceite de oliva. Primeras etapas en el desarrollo de un aceite de oliva funcional

Abstract

Olive oil is the most important source of fat in the "Mediterranean diet". In recent decades this diet has been rediscovered as a model of good nutrition capable of improving the health of those who follow it. The most recent studies indicate that olive oil is more than simply a monounsaturated fat, attributing its content of phenolic compounds as the element which is most beneficial to one's health. Furthermore, in contrast with other vegetable oils, virgin olive oil is consumed unrefined without a use of solvents in its production. This allows a large quantity of fruit phenolics to be preserved. Phenolic compounds, often incorrectly called polyphenols, come from the second stage of plant metabolism. They are chemical structures formed by an aromatic ring joined to one or more hydroxyl groups including also functional derivatives like esters, methyl esters, glycosides, etc. The compounds of the phenolic fraction of olive oil are very diverse and classified to two major groups: flavonoids and non flavonoids. In this last group we find phenolic acids, secoiridoids, lignans, etc. Hydrophilic phenols of virgin olive oil have been studied for the last 40 years, raising amongst other things the importance of natural antioxidants in the health of consumers and the possibility to develop other important biological activity. There are many epidemiological studies both "in vitro" and "in vivo" which corroborate different biological activities which phenolic compounds derived from olive oil can produce, which would directly benefit the consumer health. Such benefits include antioxidant capacity, anti-carcinogenic, anti-thrombotic, anti-inflammatory, anti- tumor and anti-microbial. Even now they are trying to demonstrate the beneficial effect of the antioxidant capacity of these compounds on human health. Furthermore, the knowledge of its bioavailability is becoming more and more important to clearly understand its biological activity. But we still don't know with certainty if these compounds reach the places inside the human body, where they could be useful in the ways just discussed. Therefore it is necessary to undertake more research related to the level of bioavailability of the said compounds. To learn more about the consequences of the digestion and of the channels of transportation and absorption of the phenolic compounds is of high interest. Once this has been developed, we could begin to create olive oils enriched with antioxidants.