Evaluation of Changes in Phenolic Compounds of Two Varieties of Olives during the Course of Maturation

Fats and oils are made of triglycerides. The fatty acids are the main constituents of triglycerides. There are minor components present in the oils and fats that are of great importance in human health, namely tocopherols and phenolic compounds that exhibit antioxidant activities. The concentrations of these compounds vary during ripening and maturation of olives. The object of the present study is to find out the time when the maximum concentrations of these compounds are present in the fruit, therefore the harvesting time can be determined. In the present work, two varieties of olives, Koroneiky and Arbeqina were selected and obtained during the months of Mordad, Shahrivar, Mehr and Aban in Fars province. The phenolic comopounds were determined according to the official method of analysis. The results indicated that phenolic compounds were increased during ripening periods and then started to decline during maturation. It was concluded that for Arbeqina variety the end of Aban and for Koroneiky variety beginning of Azar were selected as the best harvesting point in respect of phenolic compounds concentrations.