LC-MS phenolic profiling combined with multivariate analysis as an approach for the characterization of extra virgin olive oils of four rare Tunisian cultivars during ripening

- For rare Tunisian cultivars were analyzed.
- Olive variety and maturity stage influenced phenolic content.
- HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS/MS was used to identify and quantify the phenolic profile.
- The results indicated that Tunisian VOOs have rich phenolic profile.
- These data will be useful in the development and improvement of Tunisian VOO.

In this work, the phenolic composition of four rare cultivars grown under the same agronomical and environmental conditions was studied. This is to test the effects of cultivars and ripening index essentially on phenolic composition in olive oils as well as tocopherols composition, organoleptic profiling and oxidative properties. Furthermore, some agronomical traits were determined in which a general increase in the size of the fruit and oil contents were recorded for all cultivars. The phenolic fractions were identified and quantified using liquid chromatography coupled to diode array detection and electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC-DAD-ESI-MS/MS) in multiple reaction monitoring mode (MRM). A total of 13 phenolic compounds belonging to different chemical families were determined. Qualitative and quantitative differences in phenolic composition were observed among cultivars and also among sampling times. On the contrary to the agronomical traits, a general decrease (p < 0.05) of total phenolic compounds was observed during maturation. Likewise, a decrease in tocopherols concentrations and oxidative properties was observed.