VARIATION OF POLYPHENOL COMPOSITION WITH HARVESTING PERIOD

Polyphenol analysis has been demonstrated to be very important to give information about ripening of olives. In addition to polyphenol content (expressed in mg/kg) we have studied also MPC composition. Significant differences were pointed out among analysis of samples of oils from different cultivars (‘Leccino’, ‘Coratina’, ‘Frantoio’), in three different harvesting periods and two production areas. Particular observations of these components show that with ripening of fruits, an important hydrolysis of the components with higher molecular weight happens, with formation of tyrosol and hydroxityrosol.