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 orthodiphenols 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.

Thanks are due to the Algerian Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research for financial support of this work. This research was ethically approved by the local institutional review board

5 Páginas.-- 3 Tablas.-- Open Acces at: http://dx.doi.org/10.29252/jfqhc.5.2.4

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