Artificial neural networks (ANN) are computationally based mathematical tools inspired by the fundamental cell of the nervous system, the neuron. ANN constitute a simplified artificial replica of the ...human brain consisting of parallel processing neural elements similar to neurons in living beings. ANN is able to store large amounts of experimental information to be used for generalization with the aid of an appropriate prediction model. ANN has proved useful for a variety of biological, medical, economic and meteorological purposes, and in agro-food science and technology. The olive oil industry has a substantial weight in Mediterranean's economy. The different steps of the olive oil production process, which include olive tree and fruit care, fruit harvest, mechanical and chemical processing, and oil packaging have been examined in depth with a view to their optimization, and so have the authenticity, sensory properties and other quality-related properties of olive oil. This paper reviews existing literature on the use of bioinformatics predictive methods based on ANN in connection with the production, processing and characterization of olive oil. It examines the state of the art in bioinformatics tools for optimizing or predicting its quality with a view to identifying potential deficiencies or aspects for improvement.
L. fruit is a peculiar vegetal matrix containing high levels of fatty acids (98-99% of the total weight of extra-virgin olive oil, EVOO) and low quantities (1-2%) of phenolics, phytosterols, ...tocopherols, and squalene. Among these minor components, phenolics are relevant molecules for human health. This review is focused on their beneficial activity, in particular of hydroxytyrosol (HT), oleuropein (OLE), oleocanthal (OLC), and lignans found in EVOO, olive oil by-products and leaves. Specifically, the cardioprotective properties of the Mediterranean diet (MD) related to olive oil consumption, and the biological activities of polyphenols recovered from olive oil by-products and leaves were described. Recent European projects such as EPIC (European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition) and EPICOR (long-term follow-up of antithrombotic management patterns in acute coronary syndrome patients) have demonstrated the functional and preventive activities of EVOO showing the relation both between cancer and nutrition and between consumption of EVOO, vegetables, and fruit and the incidence of coronary heart disease. The data reported in this review demonstrate that EVOO, one of the pillars of the MD, is the main product of
L. fruits; leaves and by-products are secondary but precious products from which bioactive compounds can be recovered by green technologies and reused for food, agronomic, nutraceutical, and biomedical applications according to the circular economy strategy.
Volatile organic compounds strongly contribute to both the positive and negative sensory attributes of virgin olive oil, and more and more studies have been published in recent years focusing on ...several aspects regarding these molecules. This Review is aimed at giving an overview on the state of the art about the virgin olive oil volatile compounds. Particular emphasis was given to the composition of the volatile fraction, the analytical issues and approaches for analysis, the sensory characteristics and interaction with phenolic compounds, and the approaches for supporting the Panel Test in virgin olive oil classification and in authentication of the botanical and geographic origin based on volatile compounds. A pair of detailed tables with a total of approximately 700 volatiles identified or tentatively identified to date and tables dealing with analytical procedures, sensory characteristics of volatiles, and specific chemometric approaches for quality assessment are also provided.
Beneficial effects of natural plant polyphenols on the human body have been evaluated in a number of scientific research projects. Bioactive polyphenols are natural compounds of various chemical ...structures. Their sources are mostly fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, roots, bark, leaves of different plants, herbs, whole grain products, processed foods (dark chocolate), as well as tea, coffee, and red wine. Polyphenols are believed to reduce morbidity and/or slow down the development of cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases as well as cancer. Biological activity of polyphenols is strongly related to their antioxidant properties. They tend to reduce the pool of reactive oxygen species as well as to neutralize potentially carcinogenic metabolites. A broad spectrum of health-promoting properties of plant polyphenols comprises antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic, anti-atherogenic, anti-thrombotic, and anti-mutagenic effects. Scientific studies present the ability of polyphenols to modulate the human immune system by affecting the proliferation of white blood cells, and also the production of cytokines or other factors that participate in the immunological defense. The aim of the review is to focus on polyphenols of olive oil in context of their biological activities.
Natural rubber (NR), an important natural polymer derived from the Hevea brasiliensis tree, has been widely used in the rubber industry owing to its excellent elastic properties. However, it requires ...reinforcing fillers to improve its mechanical properties for the manufacturing of rubber products. Generally, calcium carbonate (CaCOsub.3) is employed as a non-reinforcing filler. This work aimed to synthesize spherical-shaped CaCOsub.3 at a submicrometric scale without and with surface treatment and explore its utilization as a reinforcing filler in NR composites. The morphological shape and polymorphic phase of CaCOsub.3 were investigated using SEM, TEM, XRD, ATR-FTIR and Raman techniques. The mechanical properties of various amounts (0 to 60 phr) of CaCOsub.3-filled NR composites were explored. As a result, the NR/treated CaCOsub.3 composites provided higher tensile strength than the NR/untreated CaCOsub.3 composites and pure NR at all filler loadings. This may have been due to the improved interfacial interaction between NR and CaCOsub.3 with the improved hydrophobicity of CaCOsub.3 after treatment with olive soap. The optimal filler loading was 20 phr for the highest tensile strength of the rubber composites. In addition, the elongation at break of the NR/treated CaCOsub.3 was slightly decreased. Evidence from SEM and FTIR revealed the vaterite polymorph and shape stability of CaCOsub.3 particles in the NR matrix. The results demonstrate that the particle size and surface treatment of the filler have essential effects on the mechanical property enhancement of the rubber composites. Synthesized spherical CaCOsub.3 could be a potential reinforcing filler with broader application in polymer composites.
•701 olive oil samples were differentiated depending on their quality.•GC-IMS data were subjected to two chemometric approaches to classify olive oils.•A non-targeted fingerprinting approach and a ...targeted one based on markers were used.•In general the markers approach is more suitable for implementation in the industry.•Calibration models from 2014/15 required recalibration to predict oils from 2015/16.
The dual separation in gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry generates complex multi-dimensional data, whose interpretation is a challenge. In this work, two chemometric approaches for olive oil classification are compared to get the most robust model over time: i) an non-targeted fingerprinting analysis, in which the overall GC-IMS data was processed and ii) a targeted approach based on peak-region features (markers). A total of 701 olive samples from two harvests (2014–2015 and 2015–2016) were analysed and processed by both approaches. The models built with data samples of 2014–2015 showed that both approaches were suitable for samples classification (success >74%). However, when these models were applied for classifying samples from 2015–2016, better values were obtained using markers. The combination of data from the two harvests to build the chemometric models improved the percentages of success (>90%). These results confirm the potential of GC-IMS based approaches for olive oil classification.
The effects of ripening degree of olives on volatile profile of monovarietal virgin olive oils (VOO) from Tunisian and Sicilian cultivars were investigated. Fruits obtained from Tunisia (Chétoui and ...Chemlali) and Italy (Nocellara del Belice, Biancolilla and Cerasuola) were picked at three different stages of ripeness and then immediately processed. Moreover, the changes in volatile composition were evaluated in Chétoui variety as a function of the irrigation regime versus the rain-fed control. Using headspace–solid-phase microextraction (HS–SPME) technique coupled to GC–MS and GC–FID, the volatile compounds of the monovarietal virgin olive oils were identified and quantitatively analyzed. The proportions of different classes of volatiles of oils showed significant differences throughout the maturity process. The results suggest that adding to the genetic factor; agronomic conditions affect the volatile formation and therefore the organoleptic properties of VOO.
Two hundred and thirty-four Lebanese olive samples were collected from different regions and the corresponding oils were analysed by (1)H NMR spectroscopy. The variables obtained, related to fatty ...acids and minor components, were used as inputs in univariate and multivariate analyses aiming to characterize and classify the oils according to geographical, morphological, and temporal factors. Samples were sorted according to the colour, size, and shape of olives, which allowed statistically significant classifications to be achieved. A sequential strategy was developed to discriminate among samples from different altitudes and latitudes. Following this strategy, obvious trends and classifications were obtained at subregional level. Furthermore, the shift in the harvest date within a range of three weeks was considered and its effect on the classification models was investigated. Likewise, the harvest year effect was evaluated; the precipitation level in April and May had a significant impact on the characteristics of the oils.
Today virgin and extra-virgin olive oil (VOO and EVOO) are food with a large number of analytical tests planned to ensure its quality and genuineness. Almost all official methods demand high use of ...reagents and manpower. Because of that, analytical development in this area is continuously evolving. Therefore, this review focuses on analytical methods for EVOO/VOO which use fast and smart approaches based on chemometric techniques in order to reduce time of analysis, reagent consumption, high cost equipment and manpower.
Experimental approaches of chemometrics coupled with fast analytical techniques such as UV–Vis spectroscopy, fluorescence, vibrational spectroscopies (NIR, MIR and Raman fluorescence), NMR spectroscopy, and other more complex techniques like chromatography, calorimetry and electrochemical techniques applied to EVOO/VOO production and analysis have been discussed throughout this work. The advantages and drawbacks of this association have also been highlighted.
Chemometrics has been evidenced as a powerful tool for the oil industry. In fact, it has been shown how chemometrics can be implemented all along the different steps of EVOO/VOO production: raw material input control, monitoring during process and quality control of final product.
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•First work review addressing chemometrics coupled to almost all analytical methods used for EVOO/VOO.•Discussion on some practical aspects about implementing chemometrics on EVOO/VOO.•Screening a wide range of techniques used for EVOO/VOO analysis.•Perspective of the application of chemometrics in EVOO/VOO analysis in the coming years.
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