Phenolic Profiles in Olive Leaves from Different Cultivars in Tuscany and Their Use as a Marker of Varietal and Geographical Origin on a Small Scale

Abstract

Olive leaves are a rich source of polyphenols with healthful properties and represent one of the most abundant waste products of olive oil production. The aims of this study were to explore the phenolic composition of olive leaves from the three main Tuscan cultivars (Leccino, Moraiolo and Frantoio) collected in Siena and Grosseto provinces and to investigate the possible use of these compounds as varietal and geographic origin markers. Discriminant factorial analysis (DFA) was used for distinguishing between different cultivars and locations. Apigenin and caffeoyl-secologanoside showed significant differences between cultivars. DFA showed that ligstroside, apigenin and luteolin have the most influence in determining the differences between sites, whereas total polyphenols, olacein and hydroxytyrosol acetate allowed for separation between leaves from the same province. The results of the present study indicate that concentrations of phenolic compounds, measured through high-resolution mass spectrometry, can be used as a marker for both the cultivar and of geographical origin of olive leaves, and possibly of olive-related products, as well as across small geographic scales (less than 50 km distance between sites).