**6. References**


very useful and provide valuable information, they have to be completed with extensive *in vivo* research. The first requirement for a beneficiary dietary compound is that it enters into the blood circulation; therefore to demonstrate *in vivo* effects of olive oil phenolics it is

Analysis of plasma and urine provide valuable information on the identity and pharmacokinetics of circulating metabolites after ingestion. Since the metabolites sequestered in body tissues are not usually taken into account, results from urine samples could be an underestimation. There have been several studies which have determined the metabolites of the various olive oil polyphenols (mainly Hyty, Ty, and Ol) in human plasma and urine after oral intake, although the information is still scarce. The conjugation mechanisms that occur in the small intestine and later in the liver are highly efficient. The resulting metabolites are mainly glucuronate and sulfate conjugates with or without

Bioavailability studies are gaining increasing interest as food industries are continually involved in developing new products, defined as ''functional'' by virtue of the presence of specific antioxidants or phytochemicals. The difference between functional foods and medicines calls for moderation when the "medicinal" properties of individual food items, be it olive oil, are indicated. The correct message should be to select foods whose components have proven, albeit limited in magnitude, biological activities and build a balanced diet

The authors are very grateful to Junta de Andalucía (Project P09-FQM-5469), to the International Campus of Excellence (CEI Granada 2009), to the Ministry of Education of Spain and to the Regional Government of Economy, Innovation and Science of Andalusia.

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Bazoti, F.N.; Gicas, E. & Tsarbopoulos, A. (2010). Simultaneous Quantification of Oleuropein

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methylation across the catechol group (many are multiply conjugated).

necessary to assess first their *bioavailability*.

round them, to reduce several chronic diseases.

**5. Acknowledgements**

**6. References** 


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**19** 

*Australia* 

**Oleocanthal: A Naturally Occurring** 

S. Cicerale, L. J. Lucas and R. S. J. Keast *School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences,* 

*Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition (CPAN), Sensory Science Group, Deakin University, Melbourne,* 

**Anti-Inflammatory Agent in Virgin Olive Oil** 

Research on the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory olive oil phenolic, (-)- decarboxymethyl ligstroside aglycone (more commonly known as oleocanthal) has supported speculation that this compound may confer some of the health benefits associated with the traditional Mediterranean diet. Oleocanthal elicits a peppery, stinging sensation at the back of the throat similar to that of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), ibuprofen (Beauchamp et al., 2005) and this localized irritation is due to stimulation of the transient receptor potential cation channel A1 (TRPA1) (Peyrot des Gachons et al., 2011). The perceptual similarity between oleocanthal and ibuprofen spurred the hypothesis that these two compounds may possess similar pharmacological properties. Further investigation demonstrated that oleocanthal inhibits inflammation in the same way as ibuprofen, and moreover, is substantially more potent on a equimolar basis (Beauchamp et al., 2005). Subsequent studies have shown that oleocanthal exhibits various modes of action in reducing inflammatoryrelated disease, including neuro-degenerative disease (Pitt et al., 2009, Li et al., 2009), jointdegenerative disease (Iacono et al., 2010) and specific cancers (Elnagar et al., 2011). Therefore, long term consumption of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) containing oleocanthal may contribute to the health benefits associated with the Mediterranean dietary pattern. This chapter summarizes the current knowledge on oleocanthal, in terms of its sensory and physiological properties, its extraction from the oil matrix and subsequent identification and quantification,

and finally the factors that may influence the concentration of oleocanthal in EVOO.

The health benefits of following a Mediterranean eating pattern were first acknowledged in the Seven Countries Study (Keys, 1970). Thereafter over a period of 30 years, a number of investigators have reported that the Mediterranean diet is associated with low rates of degenerative diseases such as cardiovascular disease (CVD) (Estruch et al., 2006, Pitsavos et al., 2005), coronary heart disease (CHD) (Fung et al., 2009), stroke (Fung et al., 2009), certain types of cancers (La Vecchia, 2004, Dixon et al., 2007), diabetes (Martinez-Gonzalez et al., 2008), Alzheimer's disease (Scarmeas et al., 2009) and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (Fraser et al., 2008). Research has also demonstrated that Mediterranean populations have

**2. Olive oil, a hallmark of the Mediterranean diet** 

**1. Introduction** 

