Effects of Chlorophyll and β‐Carotene on the Oxidation Stability of Olive Oil

Abstract

ABSTRACT Virgin olive oil was purified by silicic acid column chromatography to remove non‐triglyceride components. The effects of chlorophyll and β‐carotene on the oxidation stability of purified olive oil were studied by a combination of measuring peroxide value and oxygen disappearance in the headspace of sample bottles by gas chromatography. Chlorophyll in the purified oil acted as a photosensitizer for singlet oxygen formation under light. β‐carotene minimized lipid oxidation of purified oil under light storage by its light‐filtering effect. Experiments clearly suggested that singlet oxygen was mainly responsible for the photooxidation of the oil containing chlorophyll.