Pinoresinol and 1-acetoxypinoresinol, two new phenolic compounds identified in olive oil

Polyphenols of olive oil show autoprotective, sensory, and nutritional-therapeutic effects. Two new phenolic compounds have been isolated from virgin olive oils by preparative high-performance liquid chromatography and their structures established on the basis of their mass spectra and nuclear magnetic resonance spectral data. The compounds identified are the lignans pinoresinol and 1-acetoxypinoresinol. Both have been found in all the commercial virgin olive oils analyzed. Pinoresinol concentration was rather similar in all the oils. In contrast, 1-acetoxypinoresinol concentration was higher in oils of the Arbequina and Empeltre cultivars than in Picual or Picudo cultivars. Pinoresinol and 1-acetoxypinoresinol may represent the major phenolic compounds in some Arbequina and Empeltre oils. Lignans possess biological and pharmacological properties and, therefore, the two new compounds identified in olive oils may contribute to the reported beneficial effects which are attributed to polyphenols on human health of a diet rich in olive oil.