ABSTRACT
Polar Phenolic Compounds Dimitrios Boskou, Maria Tsimidou, and Georgios Blekas Laboratory of Food Chemistry and Technology, School of Chemistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, University Campus, Thessaloniki, 541 24, Hellas, Tel. 0030 2310
Introduction Olive oil polar phenol fraction, known for many years as “polyphenols” (a term obsolete in recent publications) is in fact a complex mixture of compounds with different chemical structures obtained from the oil by extraction with methanol-water. Literature on these compounds has increased exponentially in the last 10 years for various reasons. Phenolic compounds are related to the stability of the oil but also to its biological properties. e latter have received much attention and today many phenolic compounds contained in the oil, mainly hydroxytyrosol and its derivatives, are thoroughly investigated with the aim of establishing a relationship between dietary intakes and the risk of cardiovascular disease or cancer. Ongoing and completed studies in this area associate these phenols with the beneficial role of olive oil in human
Virgin olive oil phenolic compounds belong to the following classes: a. tyrosol, hydroxytyrosol, and their derivatives; b. derivatives of 4-hydroxybenzoic, 4-hydroxyphenylacetic, and 4-hydroxycinnamic acids; c. lignans, and d. flavonoids.
