Linking fatty acid composition with phenolic content and antioxidant capacity in olive cultivars under Mediterranean conditions

This study aims to evaluate the fatty acid composition, total phenolic content, and DPPH-based antioxidant parameters of three commercially important olive cultivars (cvs.) (Gemlik, Edremit, and Arbequina) obtained from commercial orchards grown in the Mediterranean climate conditions of southern Türkiye. Fatty acid profiles were detected by gas chromatography, while total phenolics and antioxidant properties were analyzed using the Folin-Ciocalteu method and DPPH assay, respectively. Oleic acid was the predominant fatty acid, with the highest level in Edremit (71.46%) and the lowest in Arbequina (58.24%). For linoleic acid, the highest and lowest values generated by Arbequina and Edremit cv., respectively. Palmitic and palmitoleic acid contents were 11.89%, 13.75%, and 14.74%, and 3.05%, 5.00%, and 0.01% in Gemlik, Arbequina, and Edremit, respectively. Total phenolic content ranged from 25.52 to 51.33 mg GAE/100 g oil, and Edremit had the highest values and Arbequina had the lowest values. The highest DPPH inhibition was recorded in Edremit (58.88%), followed by Gemlik (42.15%) and Arbequina (24.88%). This content demonstrated a close positive association with DPPH-based antioxidant parameters. On the other hand, oleic and linoleic acid contents revealed an extreme association among them. As a result, the findings demonstrate distinct fatty acid and phenolic-related antioxidant profiles among the evaluated samples cultivated in the Mediterranean climate conditions.