THE OLIVE TREE, A SOURCE OF ANTIOXIDANT COMPOUNDS

Products from Olea europaea L. i.e. leaves, olive oil and pomace are promising sources of bioactive compounds. In leaves, antioxidant compounds show a concentration dependence on the vegetative cycle of the trees, higher antioxidant concentration coinciding with seasonal vegetative changes. Olive oil, but particularly pomances are a rich source of health-giving effect compounds more specifically polyphenolic antioxidants. Many of these compounds may be of interest for pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food industry, especially because both pomance and leaves are currently considered waste of the olive oil production.