Smeriglio Antonella, Toscano Giovanni, Denaro Marcella, De Francesco Clara, Agozzino Simona, Trombetta Domenico
Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, Viale Palatucci, 98168 Messina, Italy.
Foundation Prof. Antonio Imbesi, University of Messina, P.zza Pugliatti 1, 98122 Messina, Italy.
Antioxidants (Basel). 2019 Aug 22;8(9):331. doi: 10.3390/antiox8090331.
The functional foods field has recently evolved due to new research being carried out in the food area and greater regulations; these factors have contributed to the creation of health claims, and to the increasing attention that consumers give to health-promoting food products. The aim of this research was to improve the shelf-life of a typical functional food of the Mediterranean diet, the Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO). We focused our attention on the standardization and validation of a production process, starting from the cultivation and harvesting of the olives, which would guarantee a product of quality in terms of bioactive compound content. Furthermore, a methodology/procedure to preserve them in the best way over a long period of time, in order to guarantee the consumer receives a product that retains its functional and organoleptic native properties, was evaluated. The monitoring of biological cultivations, harvesting, milling process, and storage, as well as careful quality control of the analytical parameters (e.g., contents of polyphenols, α-tocopherol, fatty acids, acidity, peroxides, dienes, trienes, ΔK, and antioxidant power) showed that, under the same conditions, a nitrogen headspace is a discriminating factor for the maintenance of the functional properties of EVOO.
由于食品领域开展的新研究以及更严格的法规，功能性食品领域最近有所发展；这些因素促成了健康声明的产生，以及消费者对促进健康食品产品的日益关注。本研究的目的是延长地中海饮食中一种典型功能性食品——特级初榨橄榄油（EVOO）的保质期。我们将注意力集中在生产过程的标准化和验证上，从橄榄的种植和收获开始，这将保证产品在生物活性化合物含量方面的质量。此外，还评估了一种能长期以最佳方式保存它们的方法/程序，以确保消费者收到的产品能保持其功能性和感官天然特性。对生物种植、收获、压榨过程和储存的监测，以及对分析参数（如多酚、α-生育酚、脂肪酸、酸度、过氧化物、二烯、三烯、ΔK和抗氧化能力的含量）的仔细质量控制表明，在相同条件下，氮气顶空是维持EVOO功能特性的一个决定性因素。
