Summary The phenolic compounds of olive cultivars (Picual and Kronakii) were extracted. The total phenolic content of the extracts was estimated and their ability to reduce the oxidation of sunflower oil was tested at 100 °C by using a Rancimat®. The fruits, leaves and pomaces were extracted separately with ethanol. Portions of the fruits were crushed to produce an oil/aqueous mixture, which was separated and the two fractions further processed. The oil fraction was extracted with 60% aqueous methanol and was separated further, by the method of Dabrowski & Sosulski (1984), into three major fractions. These contained mainly free phenols, soluble phenolic esters or bound phenolic acids, respectively. The phenolic concentrations were measured in all the fractions and were in accordance with expected amounts. When tested at 100, 200 or 400 ppm for their ability to stabilize sunflower oil the results showed that the vast majority of the anti‐oxidant activity found in the ‘total phenols’ fraction was because of a ‘free phenolic’ group. The free phenolics, at a 400‐ppm level, exhibited remarkable anti‐oxidant activity and were superior to that of butylated hydroxy toluene (BHT) in retarding sunflower oil oxidative rancidity. The mode of action is discussed.

Olive leaves (Kronakii cultivar) were obtained from the annual pruning of olive trees and pressed to obtain a crude juice. Aliquots from the concentrated crude olive leaf juice, representing 400, 800, 1600 and 2400 ppm as polyphenols, were added to sunflower oil. Samples of sunflower oil mixed with olive leaf juice were heated intermittently at 180 ± 5°C for 5 h day )1 and the heating process was repeated for five consecutive days. A control experiment was performed where butylated hydroxyl toluene (BHT) at 200 ppm was added to sunflower oil prior to intermittent heating in order to compare the antioxidant efficiency between the natural polyphenolics of olive leaf juice and synthetic antioxidant BHT. Some physical and chemical constants for the unheated and heated sunflower oil were determined. The data indicate that the addition of olive leaf juice to sunflower oil heated at 180°C induced remarkable antioxidant activity and at 800 ppm level was superior to that of BHT in increasing sunflower oil stability.

Free and total polyphenolic compounds were extracted from the fruits and leaves of the Picual cultivar. The safety limits of these compounds were recognized by measuring the activities of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and the levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and total lipids of rat serum. The free and total phenolic compounds (400, 800, and 1600 ppm) and butylated hydroxy toluene (BHT) (200 ppm) were daily ingested for 7 weeks. The administration of olive total and free phenolic compounds at 400 and 800 ppm did not cause any significant changes on ALT and AST activities and serum total lipids. These compounds at 1600 ppm caused significant increase in ALT and AST activities and the content of total lipids. Both olive phenolic compounds were superior to that of BHT in increasing HDL-cholesterol level. Nutritional experiments demonstrated that BHT at 200 ppm caused an enlargement in the kidney and liver of the rat compared with the administration of total and free olive phenolic compounds at 1200 and 1600 ppm. Microscopical examination of kidney and liver tissues of rats administered free and total phenolic compounds at 1200 ppm had the same histological character as that of control rats, while the administration of BHT (200 ppm) and phenolic compounds (1600 ppm) induced severe damage to the tissues of the rat kidney and liver.

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