Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
Tocopherols are compounds with high biological
activity, beneficial for human health that can be found
in vegetable oils like olive oil, contributing for its resistance
to oxidation. In this work, the tocopherol contents of olive
oils extracted from centenarian olive trees of six cultivars
(cvs. Lentisca, Madural, Rebol~a, Redondal, Verdeal, and
Verdeal Transmontana) were evaluated during five consecutive
crop seasons (2013–2017). Three tocopherol isoforms
(α-, β- and γ-tocopherols) were detected in all analyzed
olive oils, and their content varied significantly with the
cultivar and year of production. The highest amounts were
found in cv. Lentisca (456 122 mg/kg olive oil), while
the lowest were observed in cv. Verdeal (179 45 mg/kg
olive oil). Crop year was the most influential factor, with
the highest contents observed in 2013 and lowest in 2014.
Principal component analysis and hierarchical clustering
analysis helped differentiate olive oils according to cultivar
or production year. These data suggest that tocopherol composition
may serve as a chemical marker to distinguish the
subject cultivar olive oils from centenarian trees either by
olive cultivar or by crop year, being some cultivars identified
as potential candidates for guaranteeing the production
of olive oils rich in these compounds.
Description
Keywords
Crop year Monovarietal olive oils Olive tree germplasm Vitamin E α-Tocopherol
Pedagogical Context
Citation
Rodrigues, Nuno; Casal, Susana; Cruz, Rebeca; Peres, António M.; Baptista, Paula; Pereira, José A. (2020). GxE effects on Tocopherol composition of oils from very old and genetically diverse olive trees. JAOCS, Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society. ISSN 0003-021X. 97, p. 497-507