Variation of nutritional parameters in the olive oil during the ripening phase

The nutrient characteristics of extra virgin olive oil are well known and are due to the high content of monounsaturated fatty acids and the presence of minor compounds with antioxidant activity. The use of extra virgin olive oil is important in the human diet because it seems to show a protective action against aging processes. These qualities are linked to the pedoclimatic conditions. The aim of this study is to identify the chemical parameters that are able to characterize the nutritional value during different ripening grades. For this purpose we have analyzed eight parameters, such as palmitic acid, stearic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid, α-tochopherol, total phenols, hydrophilic antioxidant capacity and lipophilic antioxidant capacity, on three different olive oil fruits. These data have been processed by a Functional Mathematical Index (FMI). Results show that an appropriate choose of the FMI can allow to obtain, by means of a mathematical index, crucial information on the temporal evolution of the nutritional properties of the oil and consequently on the optimal harvesting time.