Chemical characterization and antimicrobial potential of two extra virgin olive oils of Olea europaea var. sylvestris and Olea europaea subsp. laperrinei
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25081/jp.2026.v18.9865Keywords:
Wild olives, Olea europaea var. sylvestris, Olea europaea subsp. laperrinei, Extra virgin olive oils (EVOOs), Chemical profilesAbstract
The purpose of this research was to investigate a comparative evaluation of the chemical profiles of extra virgin olive oils (EVOOs) obtained from two wild olives such as Olea europea subsp. laperrinei from the Sahara and Olea europaea var. sylvestris from north of Algeria, as well as to assess their antibacterial activities. Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry analysis (GC-MS) was used to identify the constituents of the two EVOOs, and the disc diffusion method was used to evaluate their antibacterial activity against seven bacterial strains. GC-MS analysis revealed 22 components from O. europaea var. sylvestris, with squalene (27.87%), oleic acid (17.27%), palmitic acid (14.31%) and linoleic acid (6.87%) as major constituents, while 14 components were identified in O. europaea subsp. laperrinei oil, with palmitic acid (27.98%) is the main compound followed by Linoleic acid (25.99%), oleic acid (17.43%) and squalene (13.43%). Furthermore, unsaturated fatty acids are the predominant fraction in the two EVOOs. The results indicate that the effect of the two EVOOs on positive bacteria is greater than on negative bacteria. In addition, the EVOO from O. europaea subsp. laperrinei exhibited the highest range of inhibition with all bacterial strains tested, in which S. aureus (MRSA), P. aeruginosa, S. aureus and B. subtilis are the sensitive strains, however, K. pneumoniae and E. faecalis are extremely resistant to the two EVOOs. These results demonstrate the nutritional value and the medicinal properties of EVOOs.
Downloads
References
Addab, N., Fetni, S., Hamlaoui, F., Zerguine, A., & Mahloul, K. (2020). Evaluation comparative de l’activité anti-oxydante des extraits éthano-liques des feuilles d’Olea europaea L. de l’Est Algérien [Comparative evaluation of antioxidant activity of ethanolic extracts from leaves of Olea europaea L. from Eastern Algeria]. Journal of the Faculty of Medicine of Oran, 4(2), 579-586.
Ahmad, S., & Beg, Z. H. (2016). Evaluation of therapeutic effect of omega-6 linoleic acid and thymoquinone enriched extracts from Nigella sativa oil in the mitigation of lipidemic oxidative stress in rats. Nutrition, 32(6), 649-655. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nut.2015.12.003
Alawode, T. T., Lajide, L., Olaleye, M., & Owolabi, B. (2021). Stigmasterol and β-Sitosterol: Antimicrobial compounds in the leaves of Icacina trichantha identified by GC-MS. Beni-Suef University Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences, 10, 80. https://doi.org/10.1186/s43088-021-00170-3
Amiot, M. J. (2014). Olive oil and health effects: from epidemiological studies to the molecular mechanisms of phenolic fraction. OCL, 21(5), D512. https://doi.org/10.1051/ocl/2014029
Arab, K., Bouchenak, O., & Yahiaoui, K. (2013). Évaluation de l’activité biologique des feuilles de l’olivier sauvage et cultivé [Evaluation of the biological activity of the leaves of wild and cultivated olive trees]. Africa Science, 9(3), 159-166.
Baccouri, B., Zarrouk, W., Baccouri, O., Guerfel, M., Nouairi, I., Krichene, D., Daoud, D., & Zarrouk, M. (2008). Composition, quality and oxidative stability of virgin olive oils from some selected wild olives (Olea europaea L. subsp. oleaster). Grasas Aceites, 59, 346-351.
Besnard, G., & Baali-Cherif, D. (2009). Coexistence of diploids and triploids in a Saharan relict olive: Evidence from nuclear microsatellite and flow cytometry analyses. Biologies, 332(12), 1115-1120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crvi.2009.09.014
Bouarroudj, K., Tamendjari, A., & Larbat, R. (2016). Quality, composition and antioxidant activity of Algerian wild olive (Olea europaea L. subsp. Oleaster) oil. Industrial Crops and Products, 83, 484-491. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2015.12.081
Boukhebti, H., Chaker, A. N., & Mekhadmi, N. E. (2020). Antibacterial activity of three stored olive oils and Mentha aquatica L. Journal of Fundamental and Applied Sciences, 12(3), 1148-1159. https://doi.org/10.4314/jfas.v12i3.10
Breton, C., & Bervillé, A. (2012). Histoire de l’olivier: L'arbre des temps. Editions QUAE.
Casillas-Vargas, G., Ocasio-Malavé, C., Medina, S., Morales-Guzmán, C., Del Valle, R. G., Carballeira, N. M., & Sanabria-Ríos, D. J. (2021). Antibacterial fatty acids: An update of possible mechanisms of action and implications in the development of the next-generation of antibacterial agents. Progress in Lipid Research, 82, 101093. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plipres.2021.101093
Chaker, S. (2013). Olivier/Olive: Linguistic Note. Berber Encyclopedia, 35, 5749-5760. https://doi.org/10.4000/encyclopedieberbere.2814
Cicerale, S., Conlan, X. A., Sinclair, A. J., & Keast, R. S. J. (2008). Chemistry and health of olive oil phenolics. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 49(3), 218-236. https://doi.org/10.1080/10408390701856223
Das, U. N. (2021). Bioactive lipids and vascular disease. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 75, 1528-1531. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41430-021-00925-2
Desbois, A. P., & Smith, V. J. (2010). Antibacterial free fatty acids: activities, mechanisms of action and biotechnological potential. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 85, 1629-1642. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-009-2355-3
Elgadi, S., Ouhammou, A., Zine, H., Maata, N., Ait Babahmad, R., & El Antari, A. (2021). Comparative oil composition study of the endemic moroccan olive (Olea europaea subsp. maroccana) and wild olive (var. sylvestris) in Central West Morocco. Journal of Food Quality, 2021(1), 8869060. https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/8869060
Espínola, F., Vidal, A. M., Espínola, J. M., & Moya, M. (2021). Processing effect and characterization of olive oils from spanish wild olive trees (Olea europaea var. sylvestris). Molecules, 26(5), 1304. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26051304
Flori, L., Donnini, S., Calderone, V., Zinnai, A., Taglieri, I., Venturi, F., & Testai, L. (2019). The nutraceutical value of olive oil and its bioactive constituents on the cardiovascular system. Focusing on main strategies to slow down its quality decay during production and storage. Nutrients, 11(9), 1962. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11091962
Fuentes, E., Paucar, F., Tapia, F., Ortiz, J., Jimenez, P., & Romero, N. (2018). Effect of the composition of extra virgin olive oils on the differentiation and antioxidant capacities of twelve monovarietals. Food Chemistry, 243, 285-294. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2017.09.130
Green, P. S. (2002). A revision of Olea L. (Oleaceae). Kew Bulletin, 57(1), 91-140. https://doi.org/10.2307/4110824
Hannachi, H., Nasri, N., Elfalleh, W., Tlili, N., Ferchichi, A., & Msallem, M. (2013). Fatty acids, sterols, polyphenols, and chlorophylls of olive oils obtained from Tunisian wild olive trees (Olea europaea L. Var. Sylvestris). International Journal of Food Properties, 16(6), 1271-1283. https://doi.org/10.1080/10942912.2011.584201
Hashmi, M. A., Khan, A., Hanif, M., Farooq, U., & Perveen, S. (2015). Traditional uses, phytochemistry, and pharmacology of Olea europaea (olive). Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2015(1), 541591. https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/541591
Huang, C. B., George, B., & Ebersole, J. L. (2010). Antimicrobial activity of n-6, n-7 and n-9 fatty acids and their esters for oral microorganisms. Archives of Oral Biology, 55(8), 555-560. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.archoralbio.2010.05.009
Hussain, A., Qurshi, I. A., Liaqat, R., Akhtar, S., & Aziz, I. (2014). Antimicrobial potential of leaf and fruit extracts and oils of wild and cultivated edible olive. Pakistan Journal of Botany, 46(4), 1463-1468.
Ivanova, E. P., Nguyen, S. H., Guo, Y., Baulin, V. A., Webb, H. K., Truong, V. K., Wandiyanto, J. V., Garvey, C. J., Mahon, P. J., Mainwaring, D. E., & Crawford, R. J. (2017). Bactericidal activity of self-assembled palmitic and stearic fatty acid crystals on highly ordered pyrolytic graphite. Acta Biomaterialia, 59, 148-157. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actbio.2017.07.004
Janakat, S., Al-Nabulsi, A. A. R., Allehdan, S., Olaimat, A. N., & Holley, R. A. (2015). Antimicrobial activity of amurca (olive oil lees) extract against selected foodborne pathogens. Food Science and Technology, 35, 259-265. https://doi.org/10.1590/1678-457X.6508
Jimenez-Lopez, C., Carpena, M., Lourenço-Lopes, C., Gallardo-Gomez, M., Lorenzo, J. M., Barba, F. J., Prieto, M. A., & Simal-Gandara, J. (2020). Bioactive compounds and quality of extra virgin olive oil. Foods, 9(8), 1014. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods9081014
Kabaran, S. (2018). Olive oil: Antioxidant compounds and their potential effects over health. In V. Lagouri (Ed.), Functional Foods. IntechOpen. https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.80993
Kumar, A., Shukla, R., Singh, P., Prasad, C. S., Dubey, N. K. (2008). Assessment of Thymus vulgaris L. essential oil as a safe botanical preservative against post harvest fungal infestation of food commodities. Innovative Food Science & Emerging Technologies, 9(4), 575-580. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ifset.2007.12.005
Lee, M. H., Kim, H. J., Ha, D. J., Paik, J. H., & Kim, H. Y. (2009). Therapeutic effect of topical application of linoleic acid and lincomycin in combination with betamethasone valerate in Melasma patients. Journal of Korean Medical Science, 17(4), 518-523. https://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2002.17.4.518
Lombardo, L., Grasso, F., Lanciano, F., Loria, S., & Monetti, E. (2018). Road-spectrum health protection of extra virgin olive oil compounds. In Atta-ur-Rahman (Ed.), Studies in Natural Products Chemistry (Vol. 57, pp. 41-77). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-444-64057-4.00002-8
Mariotti, M. (2014). Virgin olive oil: definition and standards. In C. Peri (Ed.), The Extra‐Virgin Olive Oil Handbook (pp. 11-19). John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118460412.ch2
Martins, B. T., Bronze, M. R., & Ventura, M. R. (2022). Phenolic compounds from virgin olive oil: Approaches for their synthesis and analogues. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 70(44), 14109-14128. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.2c05349
Medina, E., Romero, C., Brenes, M., & De Castro, A. (2007). Antimicrobial activity of olive oil, vinegar, and various beverages against foodborne pathogens. Journal of Food Protection, 70(5), 1194-1199. https://doi.org/10.4315/0362-028X-70.5.1194
Mercola, J., & D’Adamo, C. R. (2023). Linoleic acid: A narrative review of the effects of increased intake in the standard American diet and associations with chronic disease. Nutrients, 15(14), 3129. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15143129
Ozenda, P. (1991). Flore et vegetation du sahara. (3rd ed.). C.N.R.S.
Perez-Martinez, P., Garcia-Rios, A., Delgado-Lista, J., Perez-Jimenez, F., & Lopez-Miranda, J. (2011). Mediterranean diet rich in olive oil and obesity, metabolic syndrome and diabetes mellitus. Current Pharmaceutical Design, 17(8), 769-777. https://doi.org/10.2174/138161211795428948
Quézel, P., & Santa, S. (1962). Nouvelle flore de l’Algérie et des régions désertiques méridionales. C.N.R.S.
Ramsden, C. E., Ringel, A., Feldstein, A. E., Taha, A. Y., MacIntosh, B. A., Hibbeln, J. R., Majchrzak-Hong, S. F., Faurot, K. R., Rapoport, S. I., Cheon, Y., Chung, Y.-M., Berk, M., & Mann, J. D. (2012). Lowering dietary linoleic acid reduces bioactive oxidized linoleic acid metabolites in humans. Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty Acids, 87(4), 135-141. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plefa.2012.08.004
Ramsden, C. E., Zamora, D., Faurot, K. R., MacIntosh, B., Horowitz, M., Keyes, G. S., Yuan, Z.-X., Miller, V., Lynch, C., Honvoh, G., Park, J., Levy, R., Domenichiello, A. F., Johnston, A., Majchrzak-Hong, S., Hibbeln, J. R., Barrow, D. A., Loewke, J., Davis, J. M., ... Mann, J. D. (2021). Dietary alteration of n-3 and n-6 fatty acids for headache reduction in adults with migraine: randomized controlled trial. BMJ, 374, n1448. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n1448
Rodrigues, N., Pinho, T., Casal, S., Peres, A. M., Baptista, P., & Pereira, J. A. (2020). Chemical characterization of oleaster, Olea europaea var. sylvestris (Mill.) Lehr., oils from different locations of Northeast Portugal. Applied Sciences, 10(18), 6414. https://doi.org/10.3390/app10186414
Román, G. C., Jackson, R. E., Reis, J., Román, A. N., Toledo, J. B., & Toledo, E. (2019). Extra-virgin olive oil for potential prevention of Alzheimer disease. Revue Neurologique, 175(10), 705-723. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neurol.2019.07.017
Salih, T. F. M., Abdullah, S. A., Ali, S. I., & Khder, D. K. (2019). Antibacterial effect of fixed and volatile oils against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Kurdistan Journal of Applied Research, 4(3), 74-87. https://doi.org/10.24017/science.2019.ICHMS.8
Šarolić, M., Gugić, M., Marijanović, Z., & Šuste, M. (2013). Virgin olive oil and nutrition. Food in health and disease, scientific-professional. Indian Journal of Nutrition and Dietetics, 3(1), 38-43.
Schwingshackl, L., & Hoffmann, G. (2012). Monounsaturated fatty acids and risk of cardiovascular disease: Synopsis of the evidence available from systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Nutrients, 4(12), 1989-2007. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu4121989
Seçmeler, Ö., & Galanakis, C. M. (2019). Olive fruit and olive oil. In C. M. Galanakis (Ed.), Innovations in Traditional Foods (pp. 193-220). Woodhead Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-814887-7.00008-3
Servili, M., Sordini, B., Esposto, S., Urbani, S., Veneziani, G., Di Maio, I., Selvaggini, R., & Taticchi, A. (2014). Biological activities of phenolic compounds of extra virgin olive oil. Antioxidants, 3(1), 1-23. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox3010001
Shinwari, Z. K., Gilani, S. A., & Khan, A. L. (2012). Biodiversity loss, emerging infectious diseases and impact on human and crops. Pakistan Journal of Botany, 44, 137-142.
Yang, H.-T., Chen, J.-W., Rathod, J., Jiang, Y.-Z., Tsai, P.-J., Hung, Y.-P., Ko, W.-C., Paredes-Sabja, D., & Huang, I.-H. (2018). Lauric acid is an inhibitor of clostridium difficile growth in vitro and reduces Inflammation in a mouse infection model. Frontiers in Microbiology, 8, 2635. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2017.02635
Yoon, B. K., Jackman, J. A., Valle-González, E. R., & Jho, N.-J. (2018). Antibacterial free fatty acids and monoglycerides: Biological activities, experimental testing, and therapeutic applications. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 19(4), 1114. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms19041114
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Copyright (c) 2026 Habiba Boukhebti, Sarra Bouchoucha, Loubna Amor, Yacine Mouhamadi
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
.