Characterization of Olive Oil By-products: Antioxidant Activity, Its Ability to Reduce Aflatoxigenic Fungi Hazard and Its Aflatoxins

The Aim: The aim of this study is to explore a new application for turning low value byproducts to value added bioactive components using a simple technique.

Study Design: The large amounts of byproducts resulted had an environmentally harmful; the phenolic components were extracted using aqueous isopropanol from olive leaves and pomace.

Place and Duration of Study: samples were analysed in laboratories of Fats and Oils Department, Toxicology and Food Contaminants; National Research Centre; and in Department of Food Technology, City of Scientific Research and Technological Application during season of 2016.

Methodology: A novel extraction method was used to recover the remaining active components from olive processing wastes (OPWS) either from pomace or leaves. The oil residues re-extracted from dried pomace using n-hexane; collected as pomace olive oil.

Results: Although the OPWS considered as a harmful environmental byproduct; OPWs extracts showed a highly contents of polyphenols along with antioxidant activity, the best results recorded in pomace olive extract (POE), it had a good character to reduce toxigenic fungal growth and mycotoxins. Antimicrobial property, MIC and MFC of polar and non-polar extracts were determined.

Conclusions: It showed a better antimicrobial character in conformity with its total phenolics, total flavonoids and antioxidant activities. The olive pomace extract showed a high content of bioactive components. The extracts had anti-mycotic properties against 4 types of toxigenic fungi, and anti-mycotoxigenic characters that showed a high ability of the olive pomace extracts either on fungal inhibition or reducing aflatoxin ratio.