Analysis of minor components in olive oil

Virgin olive oil is well known for its high content of phenolic substances that are thought to have health-promoting properties. These substances also contribute to the distinctive taste of the oil. In this study, tyrosol, vanillic acid, luteolin, and apigenin were identified and quantified by liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS). In the seven samples analysed, tyrosol, the most abundant, was in the range of 1.4–29 mg/kg, vanillic acid was in the range of 0.67–4.0 mg/kg, luteolin was in the range of 0.22–7.0 mg/kg, and apigenin was in the range of 0.68–1.6 mg/kg. It was also shown that in olive oil, squalene can be analysed by using a refractive index detector. In the samples analysed, squalene occurred in the range of 3.9–9.6 g/l.