Identification of Volatile Compounds (VCs) in the Leaves Collected from ‘Gemlik’, ‘Halhalı’ and ‘Sarı Hasebi’ Olive Tree Varieties

Infestation of the gall midge Dasineura oleae provides first evidence of induced plant volatiles in olive leaves

In this study, we present the first characterization of herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) released from infested olive leaves. The gall midge Dasineura oleae is a specific pest of Olea europaea and endemic of the Mediterranean Basin, an area in which severe outbreaks currently occurred. Little is known about the damage caused by the pest and the relationship with its host. Since gall formation and larval feeding activity may lead to the release of specific plant volatile compounds, we investigated the volatile profiles emitted from infested plants compared with healthy plants under both laboratory and field conditions. Additionally, the volatiles emitted from mechanically damaged plants were considered. A blend of 12 volatiles was emitted from olive trees infested by D. oleae. Of these, β-copaene, β-ocimene, cosmene, unknown 1 and unknown 3 were found to be exclusively emitted in infested plants. The emission of germacrene-D, (E,E)-α-farnesene, and (Z,E)-α-farnesene, α-copaene, (E)-4,8-dimethylnona-1,3,7-triene, (E)-β-guaiene and heptadecane significantly increased in infested trees. Linalool, β-copaen-4-α-ol, β-bourbonene, β-cubebene, β-elemene, β-copaene and δ-amorphene were found only in the field trial and showed differences depending on the level of infestation and the plant stage. (Z)-3-Hexenol, (E)-4-oxohen-2-enal, and 2-(2-butoxyethoxy)-ethanol, were exclusively emitted from the leaves after mechanical damage. In a field trial in Italy, we also demonstrated spring synchronization between adults of D. oleae and O. europaea trees. Analyses of morphoanatomical malformations of gall leaves showed that tissue alterations occur at the spongy parenchyma causing an increase of the leaf blade thickness. We speculate that tissue alterations may lead to HIPV release, in turn potentially attracting D. oleae natural enemies.

Antioxidant Capacity of Free Volatile Compounds from Olea europaea L. cv. Oblica Leaves Depending on the Vegetation Stage

Previous research on specialized metabolites of olive leaves has focused on the phenolic components and their biological role. The research in this article focuses on the metabolites that form free volatile compounds (FVCs). The composition of FVCs is divided into compounds isolated in the oil phase (essential oils; EO) and in the aqueous phase (hydrosols; Hy) from leaves of Olea europaea L. cultivar Oblica. Plant material was collected from the same olive tree over a six-month period, from December to May, and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The compounds β-caryophyllene, α-humulene, allo-aromadendrene, docosane, hexadecanoic acid and oleic acid were identified in all EO study periods. In the Hy in all studied periods, the major compounds are α-pinene, β-ionone, myristicin, docosane, 1-hexanol, oleic acid and (E)-β-damascenone. The differences in the qualitative composition of FVC are directly related to the phenological development of the leaves. Antioxidant capacity of the EOs and hydrosols was measured with two methods, ORAC and DPPH. Hydrosol extracts showed higher capacity than the EOs in all methods.

Valorisation of olive agro-industrial by-products as a source of bioactive compounds

A large amount of olive-derived biomass is generated yearly in Spain, which could be used as a potential source of bioactive compounds. The present work evaluates the recovery of natural antioxidants from olive tree pruning (OTP) and olive mill leaves (OML). For this purpose, the effect of different solvents on the total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and antioxidant activity was evaluated. The solvent was found to have a significant effect (p < 0.05) on the TPC, TFC, and the DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP activity, affording similar results for the extracts from the two by-products. The extracts obtained using 50% ethanol showed high TPC (23.85 and 27.54 mg GAE/g_dw for OTP and OML, respectively) and TFC (52.82 and 52.39 mg RE/g_dw for OTP and OML, respectively). Also, the OTP and OML extracts exhibited notable antioxidant activity as measured by the ABTS method (45.96 and 42.71 mg TE/g_dw, respectively). Using pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, 30 bioactive compounds were detected in both extracts. Additionally, UPLC-DAD-ESI-MS allowed the identification of 15 compounds in the samples. Furthermore, the antioxidant extracts were found to inhibit the growth of several food pathogenic bacteria. This research demonstrates that these by-products from olive grove farming are a good source of antioxidant compounds with antibacterial properties, which have potential applications in the food and pharmaceutical industries.