BITTER TASTE AND PHENOLIC COMPOUNDS IN EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL: AN EMPIRICAL RELATIONSHIP

Bitter taste of extra virgin olive oil is known to be affected by the phenolic composition. However, contribution of each individual phenol to this sensory note has not been clearly defined. The aims of this study were to verify whether there was a relationship between bitter sensation and phenolic compound concentration, to determine which compounds were involved in bitter taste and to evaluate quantitatively this correlation. Results confirmed that a positive correlation did exist between total phenolic amount and bitter intensity. Data processing showed that this correlation was significantly dependent upon a relationship between oleuropein aglycon (3,4-DHPEA-EA) and bitter intensity. An empirical exponential model was set up and validated.