Distribution of bioactives in entire mill chain from the drupe to the oil and wastes

Industrial olive oil production generates large amounts of by-products, mainly pomaces and wastewaters. The latter, in particular, represents serious environmental problems requiring special treatments prior to disposal. While olive pomace finds use as alternative energy source, wastewaters still remain a task since it is not reusable, representing an additional cost on olive oil for its treatments. This study is a comprehensive overview on the distribution of bioactives in entire mill chain from the drupe to the oil and wastes. Identification was achieved through liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry, spectrofotometric and fluorimetric detection. Phenols resulted the most abundant class of substances, with the highest hydroxytyrosol amounts in wastewater (214 mg/kg). Pomace contained a total of 304 mg/kg in terms of bioactives, thus representing a potential food supplement ingredient for functional foods with high nutritional values.

Automated summary

Industrial olive oil production generates large amounts of by-products, mainly pomaces and wastewaters. While pomaces can be used as alternative energy source, wastewaters require special treatments due to environmental concerns. Phenols were found to be the most abundant class of substances, with the highest hydroxytyrosol amounts in wastewater, presenting potential applications in functional foods.