Phenolic profile of virgin olive oils with and without sensory defects: Oils with non‐oxidative defects exhibit a considerable concentration of phenols

The new health claim on “olive oil polyphenols” recently approved by the European Commission has produced a dramatic increase in the interest in these antioxidant compounds. Although this interest has been focused mostly on extra virgin olive oils (EVOOs), virgin olive oils (VOOs) qualified as having non‐oxidative sensory defects, mostly caused by fermentation and the action of fungi on olives, may still have a considerable amount of phenols, even though their sensory quality is not flawless. This study is focused on the phenol composition of all the VOO categories: EVOOs with their ample variability in phenolic composition, VOOs with slight defects, lampante virgin olive oils (LVOO), and reference materials of defective VOOs. The average content of phenols in the analyzed EVOOs (410 ± 16 mg/kg) is higher than the recommended consumption by the health claim (250 mg/kg). VOOs qualified with non‐oxidative defects contain high concentrations of phenols (234 ± 27 mg/kg), but only samples characterized by the wet‐wood sensory defect show concentrations of phenols close to 250 mg/kg. Practical application: This study has demonstrated that VOOs with slight sensory defects still have a high concentration of phenols, providing antioxidant properties regarding health benefits and stability. The health claim should be not only applied to the extra virgin olive oil category, but also to some virgin olive oils with sensory defects. Profiles of phenols according to their main sensory defect. Picual (A), Hojiblanca (B), rancid (C), winey‐vinegary (D), fusty (E), and musty (F).