Oxidative stability of extra virgin olive oil assessed by electron paramagnetic resonance, chemical composition, and multivariate analysis

The oxidative stability of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is a key quality parameter influenced by its composition and antioxidant content. The determination of EVOO oxidative stability under stress conditions will help to address its nutritional properties and shelf life. This study investigates the oxidative behaviour of Tuscan EVOOs by combining Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR), detailed compositional profiling and multivariate analysis. Significant variability in both radical generation and antioxidant capacity was observed among samples. Multivariate analyses (PCA, PLS), integrating chemical data, revealed that tocopherols, phenolic compounds, and fatty acid profiles, particularly MUFA/PUFA ratios, strongly influence oxidative resistance. In particular, given that oil samples have all an oleic acid content higher than 72 %, the polyphenol/tocopherol ratio is the main responsible of the oxidative stability of EVOOs. This study highlights the interplay between composition and oxidative stability with the aim, once a greater number of dataset will be available, to build a predictive model to define EVOOs oxidative stability.