Monitoring the Oxidative Stability of Monovarietal Extra Virgin Olive Oils by UV–Vis Spectroscopy and MCR–ALS

The extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) has a certain oxidation resistance when compared to other vegetable oils without refining process, due to their large composition of monounsaturated fatty acids, antioxidants, and bio-compounds. The main of this research was to evaluate and monitor the behavior of autoxidative processes through the storage time in two packaging systems of different EVOO monovarietals produced in Minas Gerais, Brazil by using ultraviolet and visible spectroscopy (UV–Vis) with multivariate curve resolution with alternating least squares (MCR–ALS). We analyzed six EVOOs produced from different monovarietals (Arbequina, Empeltre, Coratina, Grappolo, Koroneiki, and Maria da Fe), over the course of 1 year, performed the analysis in times 0, 30, 90, 180, and 365 days, and storage in glass bottles and tinplate cans. The UV–Vis spectroscopy coupled with MCR–ALS was a feasible tool to monitor autoxidation processes in EVOO through storage time and in the monitoring of the EVOO quality in different package systems. The glass bottles were a package system that provides more protection for the autoxidation processes with the time for the EVOO from monovarietals Empeltre, Arbequina, and Coratina. In addition, it was possible to make a differentiation between the monovarietal olive oils produced in Brazil by observing the amount of phenolic compounds present in the chemical composition of each oil. Allowing gather information about the formation of oxidative products may correlate with the shelf life of the EVOO.