characterization of phenolic profile and antioxidant potential of some algerian olive oils cultivars

Background: olive oil is a source of antioxidants and poses positive effects on human health. the objective of this study was firstly to identify and quantify the phenolics of some algerian olive oils; secondly, the antioxidant activity of the samples was assessed. methods: the virgin olive oils used in this study were derived from three algerian cultivars, including azeradj, bouchouk, and chemlal. after preparation of the samples, the phenolic, ortho-diphenol and flavonol contents in addition to phenolic profile were determined. also, antioxidant capacity, reducing power, and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (dpph) radical scavenging activity values were analyzed. statistical analysis of the data was done with statistica 5.5 fr. results: the phenolic contents of analyzed olive oils showed significant differences (p<0.05) between three different cultivars. the total phenolics of the studied cultivars were ranged from 132.8 to 318.9 mg gallic acid equivalents (gae)/kg. the ortho-diphenols contents varied between 13.02 and 31.1 mg caffeic acid equivalents/kg. also, the total flavonol content was ranged from 6.5 to 13.6 mg quercetin equivalents/kg. on the other hand, significant differences (p<0.05) were found between phenolic profiles and antioxidant activity of the three algerian olive oil cultivars. conclusion: both chemlal and azeradj algerian olive oil cultivars can be considered as appropriate sources of bioactive phytochemicals, which play a major role in human health as free radical scavenger and can replace synthetic antioxidant in the food products.