Olive leaf

Last updated
Leaves from an olive tree in Portugal Olive-tree-leaf-0.jpg
Leaves from an olive tree in Portugal

Olive leaf is the leaf of the olive tree (Olea europaea). Although olive oil is well known for its flavor and possible health benefits, the leaf and its extracts remain under preliminary research with unknown effects on human health.

Contents

Leaf characteristics

The silvery green leaves are oblong, measuring 4–10 centimetres (1.6–3.9 inches) long and 1–3 centimetres (0.39–1.18 inches) wide. When consumed, leaves have an astringent bitter taste.[ citation needed ]

Chemical compounds

Olive phenolics are much more concentrated in the leaves compared with olive fruit or olive oil: 1450 mg total phenolics/100 g fresh leaf vs. 110 mg/100 g fruit and 23 mg/100 ml extra virgin olive oil. [1] [2] Chemical compounds in unprocessed olive leaf are oleuropein and hydroxytyrosol, as well as polyphenols and flavonoids, including luteolin, rutin, caffeic acid, catechin and apigenin. [3] Elenolic acid is a component of olive oil and olive leaf extract. It can be considered as a marker for maturation of olives. [4] Oleuropein, together with other closely related compounds such as 10-hydroxyoleuropein, ligstroside and 10-hydroxyligstroside, are tyrosol esters of elenolic acid. [2] The phenolic composition of olive leaf extract varies according to plant variety, harvesting season and method, leaf maturity, storage conditions and extraction method.[ citation needed ]

Culinary uses

Olive leaves are sometimes used in deluxe Chinese cuisine. Olive leaves have been used by Gina Keatley in the creation of Matche, powdered olive leaves used on desserts and in tea. [5]

Research

Scientific evidence for the supposed health effect of using olive leaf extract to manage blood glucose levels has been deemed insufficient by the European Food Safety Authority to have any cause-and-effect relationship. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olive oil</span> Liquid fat made from olives

Olive oil is a liquid fat obtained by pressing whole olives, the fruit of Olea europaea, a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin, and extracting the oil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olive</span> Flowering plant in the family Oleaceae

The olive, botanical name Olea europaea, meaning 'European olive', is a species of small tree or shrub in the family Oleaceae, found traditionally in the Mediterranean Basin. When in shrub form, it is known as Olea europaea'Montra', dwarf olive, or little olive. The species is cultivated in all the countries of the Mediterranean, as well as in Australia, New Zealand, North and South America and South Africa. It is the type species for its genus, Olea. The tree and its fruit give their name to the Oleaceae plant family, which also includes species such as lilac, jasmine, forsythia, and the true ash tree.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tannin</span> Class of astringent, bitter plant polyphenolic chemical compounds

Tannins are a class of astringent, polyphenolic biomolecules that bind to and precipitate proteins and various other organic compounds including amino acids and alkaloids.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gallic acid</span> 3,4,5-Trihydroxybenzoic acid

Gallic acid (also known as 3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoic acid) is a trihydroxybenzoic acid with the formula C6H2(OH)3CO2H. It is classified as a phenolic acid. It is found in gallnuts, sumac, witch hazel, tea leaves, oak bark, and other plants. It is a white solid, although samples are typically brown owing to partial oxidation. Salts and esters of gallic acid are termed "gallates".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flavonoid</span> Class of plant and fungus secondary metabolites

Flavonoids are a class of polyphenolic secondary metabolites found in plants, and thus commonly consumed in the diets of humans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flavan-3-ol</span> Category of polyphenol compound

Flavan-3-ols are a subgroup of flavonoids. They are derivatives of flavans that possess a 2-phenyl-3,4-dihydro-2H-chromen-3-ol skeleton. Flavan-3-ols are structurally diverse and include a range of compounds, such as catechin, epicatechin gallate, epigallocatechin, epigallocatechin gallate, proanthocyanidins, theaflavins, thearubigins. They play a part in plant defense and are present in the majority of plants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polyphenol</span> Class of chemical compounds

Polyphenols are a large family of naturally occurring phenols. They are abundant in plants and structurally diverse. Polyphenols include flavonoids, tannic acid, and ellagitannin, some of which have been used historically as dyes and for tanning garments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catechin</span> Type of natural phenol as a plant secondary metabolite

Catechin is a flavan-3-ol, a type of secondary metabolite providing antioxidant roles in plants. It belongs to the subgroup of polyphenols called flavonoids.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antioxidant effect of polyphenols and natural phenols</span>

A polyphenol antioxidant is a hypothetized type of antioxidant, in which each instance would contain a polyphenolic substructure; such instances which have been studied in vitro. Numbering over 4,000 distinct chemical structures, such polyphenols may have antioxidant activity {{{1}}} in vitro (although they are unlikely to be antioxidants in vivo). Hypothetically, they may affect cell-to-cell signaling, receptor sensitivity, inflammatory enzyme activity or gene regulation, although high-quality clinical research has not confirmed any of these possible effects in humans as of 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hydroxytyrosol</span> Chemical compound

Hydroxytyrosol is an organic compound with the formula (HO)2C6H3CH2CH2OH. It is a phenylethanoid, i.e. a relative of phenethyl alcohol. Its derivatives are found in a variety of natural sources, notably olive oils and wines. Hydroxytyrosol is a colorless solid, although samples often turn beige during storage. It is a derivative, formally speaking, of catechol.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Epigallocatechin gallate</span> Catechin (polyphenol) in tea

Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), also known as epigallocatechin-3-gallate, is the ester of epigallocatechin and gallic acid, and is a type of catechin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oleuropein</span> Chemical compound

Oleuropein is a glycosylated seco-iridoid, a type of phenolic bitter compound found in green olive skin, flesh, seeds, and leaves. The term oleuropein is derived from the botanical name of the olive tree, Olea europaea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Date honey</span> Syrup extracted from dates

Date honey, date syrup, date molasses, Debes, or rub is a thick dark brown, very sweet fruit syrup extracted from dates. It is widely used in Middle Eastern cuisine and Maghrebi cuisine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthocyanin</span> Class of chemical compounds

Anthocyanins, also called anthocyans, are water-soluble vacuolar pigments that, depending on their pH, may appear red, purple, blue, or black. In 1835, the German pharmacist Ludwig Clamor Marquart named a chemical compound that gives flowers a blue color, Anthokyan, in his treatise "Die Farben der Blüthen". Food plants rich in anthocyanins include the blueberry, raspberry, black rice, and black soybean, among many others that are red, blue, purple, or black. Some of the colors of autumn leaves are derived from anthocyanins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phenolic content in wine</span> Wine chemistry

The phenolic content in wine refers to the phenolic compounds—natural phenol and polyphenols—in wine, which include a large group of several hundred chemical compounds that affect the taste, color and mouthfeel of wine. These compounds include phenolic acids, stilbenoids, flavonols, dihydroflavonols, anthocyanins, flavanol monomers (catechins) and flavanol polymers (proanthocyanidins). This large group of natural phenols can be broadly separated into two categories, flavonoids and non-flavonoids. Flavonoids include the anthocyanins and tannins which contribute to the color and mouthfeel of the wine. The non-flavonoids include the stilbenoids such as resveratrol and phenolic acids such as benzoic, caffeic and cinnamic acids.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elenolic acid</span> Chemical compound

Elenolic acid is a component of olive oil, olive infusion and olive leaf extract. It can be considered as a marker for maturation of olives.

A hydrolysable tannin or pyrogallol-type tannin is a type of tannin that, on heating with hydrochloric or sulfuric acids, yields gallic or ellagic acids.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phenolic content in tea</span> Natural plant compounds

The phenolic content in tea refers to the phenols and polyphenols, natural plant compounds which are found in tea. These chemical compounds affect the flavor and mouthfeel of tea. Polyphenols in tea include catechins, theaflavins, tannins, and flavonoids.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pomegranate ellagitannin</span> Ellagitannins found in the pomegranate fruit

The pomegranate ellagitannins, which include punicalagin isomers, are ellagitannins found in the sarcotestas, rind (peel), bark or heartwood of the pomegranate fruit.

References

  1. Lockyer S, Rowland I, Spencer JP, Yaqoob P, Stonehouse W (2017). "Impact of phenolic-rich olive leaf extract on blood pressure, plasma lipids and inflammatory markers: a randomised controlled trial". European Journal of Nutrition . 56 (4): 1421–1432. doi:10.1007/s00394-016-1188-y. PMC   5486627 . PMID   26951205.
  2. 1 2 Barbaro, B; Toietta, G; Maggio, R; Arciello, M; Tarocchi, M; Galli, A; Balsano, C (2014). "Effects of the Olive-Derived Polyphenol Oleuropein on Human Health". International Journal of Molecular Sciences . 15 (10): 18508–18524. doi: 10.3390/ijms151018508 . PMC   4227229 . PMID   25318054.
  3. Herrero, M; Temirzoda, T. N.; Segura-Carretero, A; Quirantes, R; Plaza, M; Ibañez, E (2011). "New possibilities for the valorization of olive oil by-products". Journal of Chromatography A . 1218 (42): 7511–20. doi:10.1016/j.chroma.2011.04.053. hdl: 10261/51788 . PMID   21600577. S2CID   20915846.
  4. Esti, M; Cinquanta, L; La Notte, E (1998). "Phenolic Compounds in Different Olive Varieties". Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry . 46 (1): 32–35. doi:10.1021/jf970391+. PMID   10554192. Elenolic acid glucoside and hydroxytyrosol can be considered indicators of maturation for olives
  5. "Sicilian Olive Leaf Tea Company Releases Matche at 'World Tea'". 22 March 2022.
  6. "Scientific Opinion on the substantiation of a health claim related to olive (Olea europaea L.) leaf water extract and increase in glucose tolerance pursuant to Article 13(5) of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006". EFSA Journal. 12 (5). 2014. doi: 10.2903/j.efsa.2014.3655 .