Desarrollo de metodologías analíticas para la caracterización química de aceite de oliva virgen

Abstract

Olive oil has special relevance in Spain, especially in Jaén. Its nutritional value derives from its composition; the major fraction consisting of triglycerides (oleic acid being the major fatty acid); and on the other hand, the minority compounds, highlighting the antioxidants (phenolic compounds and tocopherols). The conventional/official methods for the determination of antioxidant compounds and peroxides in olive oil are slow, laborious and not environmentally friendly. Therefore, in the first part of this Thesis, multiconmutated automatic methods of analysis were developed as an alternative to determine these compounds in order to improve conventional/official methods. In the second part, mass spectrometry coupled to new sources of ionization (low temperature plasma, dielectric barrier discharge ionization and paper spray) is studied to two purposes: to contribute to the characterization of olive oil by direct mass spectrometry, and to expand ionization coverage regarding conventional sources.