Olive Oil's Hidden Treasures: Unveiling Powerful Compounds

Scientists dived into the world of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), focusing on the Turkish variety "Sarı Ulak. " They were curious about its phenolic compounds (PC), volatile compounds (VC), and fatty acids (FA). To understand these better, they used techniques like GC-FID and HPLC for characterization. They also measured quality and antioxidant activities using spectrophotometry. Guess what they found? A complex mix of 40 volatile compounds, with estragole, 7-hydroxyheptene-1, and 3-methoxycinnamaldehyde as the main players. For the phenolic side, hydroxytyrosol, tyrosol, oleuropein, apigenin, ferulic acid, and vanillic acid stole the show.But do these compounds matter? Yes, they do! When it comes to bioavailability, hydroxytyrosol and apigenin were the stars. Molecular docking showed that oleuropein and pinoresinol have strong bindings. Only hydroxytyrosol, apigenin, and pinoresinol passed drug-likeness tests, though. Want to know more? DFT analysis revealed that oleuropein and pinoresinol have distinct dipole moments, indicating unique structures. Now, let's talk health. Key molecules like oleuropein and apigenin were linked to pathways affecting lipid metabolism and atherosclerosis. This could mean big things for our health!