Quick assessment of the economic value of olive mill waste water.
BACKGROUND
Olive biophenols are emerging as a valued class of natural products finding practical application in the food, pharmaceutical, beverage, cosmetic and nutraceutical industries due to their powerful biological activity which includes antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. Olive mill waste water (OMWW), a by-product in olive oil manufacturing, is rich in biophenols such as hydroxytyrosol and tyrosol. The amount of biophenols depends on the cultivar, the geographical area of cultivation, and the seasonal conditions. The goal of this study was to develop a straightforward method to assess the economic value of OMWW via quantification of hydroxytyrosol and tyrosol.


RESULTS
The amount of hydroxytyrosol and tyrosol phenolic compounds in the OMWW from four different cultivars grown in four different regions of Sicily was analyzed using liquid-liquid and solid-liquid analytical protocols developedad hoc. Results showed significant differences amongst the different cultivars and their geographical origin. In all samples, the concentration of hydroxytyrosol was generally from 2 to 10 times higher than that of tyrosol. In general, the liquid-liquid extraction protocol gave higher amounts of extracted biophenols. The cultivarCerasuolahad the highest amount of both hydroxytyrosol and tyrosol. The cultivarNocellara Etneahad the lowest content of both biophenols.


CONCLUSIONS
A quick method to assess the economic value of olive mill waste water via quantification of hydroxytyrosol and tyrosol in olive phenolic enriched extracts is now available.
Istituto per lo Studio dei Materiali Nanostrutturati, CNR, via U. La Malfa 153, 90146 Palermo, Italy.
Riccardo
R
Delisi
Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie e Forestali, viale delle Scienze, Ed. 4, 90128 Palermo, Italy.
Filippo
F
Saiano
Istituto per lo Studio dei Materiali Nanostrutturati, CNR, via U. La Malfa 153, 90146 Palermo, Italy.
Mario
M
Pagliaro
Istituto per lo Studio dei Materiali Nanostrutturati, CNR, via U. La Malfa 153, 90146 Palermo, Italy.
Rosaria
R
Ciriminna
Hydroxytyrosol; Olive; Olive mill waste water; Polyphenols; Tyrosol