Spectrophotometric method for quantification of flavonoids in olive oil supplied from Tehran market of Iran

Abstract

Olive oil is rich in antioxidants and it is a healthy fat for human consumption. It has a lot of flavonoid antioxidant compounds. The study aim was determination of flavonoids in crude and refined olive oils supplied in Tehran market of Iran using spectrophotometric method. Total flavonoid contents of olive oils were estimated by using the aluminum chloride colorimetric method as described by Willet. Results showed that the flavonoid contents of crude and refined olive oil were ranged from 3.61 to 1.56 mg rutin hydrate equivalent/g of sample. Compared to refined olive oil, flavonoid content of the crude olive oils was high. It was concluded that the olive oil, especially virgin olive oil can be a good source of flavonoids in human nutrition.