CHLOROPHYLLIC AND CAROTENOID COMPOSITION OF THE PIGMENTS IN THE VIRGIN OLIVE OIL - PROVITAMIN-A VALUE

The percentages of pigments in the virgin olive oil vary according to the ripeness degree of the fruits. At the beginning, the major component is pheophytin <<a>> while in oils obtained at the end of the season, lutein is the most abundant. Along the postharvesting period and the extraction process, the liberated acids interact with pigments and transform the initially present chlorophylls into pheophytins. The carotenoid fraction is also affected, but only those compounds which are sensible to the acids are transformed. In addition, the extraction process always produces a great loss of pigments, but beeing the chlorophyllic fraction more sensible than the carotenoids one, then the effect is more appreciable on the green components.