STUDY OF THE QUALITY OF EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL STORED IN PET BOTTLES WITH OR WITHOUT AN OXYGEN SCAVENGER.

A comparative evaluation of the extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) storage performance of PET bottles contain- ing an oxygen scavenger and simple PET bottles was planned and carried out to assess the ability of active barrier PET bottles to preserve the quality of EVOO during its whole shelf life. Results of the 13-months experimental study indicate that the enclosure of the oxygen scavenger in the plastic matrix is able to better maintain the quality and authenticity attributes of the EVOO: a reduced flux of oxygen through the PET bottle keeps the level of primary and secondary oxidation products lower than that obtained in simple PET bottles stored under the same conditions. The active barrier reduces the EVOO antioxidant activity decline during storage. The chlorophylls content decay can only be prevented via the storage of the sample in the dark, while the active barrier is able to diminish the carotenes loss at the end of the shelf life. On the whole, the performance of the tested innovative packageing proved to better preserve the extra virgin characteristics of the oil during its shelf life