Terpene Compounds of New Tunisian Extra-Virgin Olive Oil: Effect of Ripening Stage

The volatile profiles of Tunisian virgin olive oils were established by solid phase micro-extraction (SPME) and gas chromatography (GC), using flame ionisation and mass spectrometer detectors. Terpenes compounds were identified and characterized. Limonene, the main terpene compound extracted by SPME, characterized the studied olive oil. Significant differences in the proportions of terpenes constituents from oils of different maturity index were detected. The results demonstrated that the accumulation of the terpenes compounds in the studied oils obtained from different ripeness stage was strictly connected with the ripeness stage.

Terpenoids: Lycopene in Tomatoes

Terpenoids are compounds that only contain carbon and hydrogen, or carbon, hydrogen and oxygen that are aromatic, some terpenoids contain carbon atoms whose number is a multiple of five called isoprene units. There are many terpenoids in tomatoes, one of which is a tretrapenoid. A type of tetrapenoid, the carotenoids. Lycopene is a terpenoid found in tomatoes. Lycopene is the most carotenoid group in tomatoes. Lycopene plays a very important role in maintaining human health, including its role in the risk of chronic diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and others. The lycopene content in tomatoes depends on genetic factors, in this case the tomato variety, the environment where the tomatoes grow and the fruit storage environment, and the age of the tomatoes. The genetic factor of tomato fruit that greatly affects lycopene content in tomatoes is the color of the fruit. Color is generally an accurate indicator of lycopene content, with yellow cultivars containing less lycopene than red cultivars, and two out of three red cultivars contain more than orange cultivars. Shade tomato plants can increase the lycopene content in tomatoes. Aside from the lack of light in the tomato plant environment, the humidity and air temperature around the tomato plants also greatly affect the lycopene content in the fruit.

Potential Antioxidant Activity of Terpenes

Terpenes play a key part in the metabolic processes of a wide variety of animals, plants and microorganisms in which they are produced. In nature, terpenoids serve a variety of purposes including defense, signaling and as key agents in metabolic processes. Terpenes have been used in perfumery, cosmetics and medicine for thousands of years and are still extracted from natural sources for these uses. Terpenes antioxidant activities may sometimes explain their capacity to adjust inflammation, immunological effects and neural signal transmission. They offer pertinent protection under oxidative stress situations including renal, liver, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative and diabetes as well as in ageing mechanisms.