Effect of Pollution on the Quality of Olive Oils from Trees Grown Near a Phosphoric Acid Factory

Given the importance of olive oil as a food product worldwide and given the exposure of many productive olive orchards to many pollution sources, this work is a contribution to the clarification of atmospheric metal pollution effects on the quality of olive oil and its possible toxicity for human beings. This work is carried out on olive orchards (Olea europaea L., cv. Chemlali) situated in a polluted region close to a fertilizer factory and in a controlled, unpolluted area, managed with comparable cultivation techniques during two successive years (2015/2016 and 2016/2017). Pollution negatively affects the oxidative stability and nutritional value of olive oil, especially by decreasing the contents of antioxidant compounds and the fatty acid composition. Atmospheric metals are confirmed to have a negative effect on olive oil chemicals; oils show a disruption of their squalene, tocopherols, and triglyceride composition in comparison with control oils. Practical Applications: This study is carried out in two olive orchards (Olea europaea L., cv. Chemlali) located in a polluted area near a fertilizer factory and in a control unpolluted site, managed with similar cultivation techniques. The aim is to investigate the physiological and biochemical responses of polluted oils (PO), exposed to atmospheric metal contamination as compared to control oils (CO). The results of this study emanate from the accidental exposure to contamination sources, such as the direct contact of olives, with an elevated polluted environment that might be made more severe by gaseous air pollutants emitted by the factory. Then, air contamination avoidance from factories should be examined together with any possible probable methodologies to decrease plant tissue contamination. The SIAPE is the main pollution source in Sfax city. Vegetation developed around the city is continuously exposed to air pollution. Therefore, olive fruits are contaminated by the chemical pollution which affects the quality of olive oils.The authors thank the Ministry of Higher Education Scientific Research (Laboratory LR14ES08), Tunisia, and ARIMNet 2 MedOOmics “Mediterranean Extra Virgin Olive Oil Omics: profiling and fingerprinting” ‐ “Arimnet2/0001/2015” for the support of this research work. They are also grateful to Dr. Hazem Jabeur from the Sfax National Office of Olive Oil for their precious help with GC analyses for fatty acid and Triglycerids composition and, squalene and tocopherols contents. The authors would like to extend their thanks to Mrs. Leila Mahfoudhi, Teacher of English at the Sfax Faculty of Science, for proofreading and polishing the language of the manuscript.Peer Reviewe