Polyphenolic compounds gallic acid esters

The olive mesocarp contains a number of phenolic and polyphenolic compounds and their esters, small amounts of which are present in olive oil (35, 43, 44). These include monohydroxy- and dihydroxy-phenylethanol, including tyrosol and other phenols and a series of carboxy-phenols, including caffeic, o-coumaric, p-coumaric, cinnamic, ferulic, gallic, p-hydroxybenzoic, protocatechuic, sinapic, syringic, and vanillic acids. Benzoic and cinnamic acids are produced by hydrolysis of flavonoids. The hydroxyphenyl-ethanols arise from hydrolysis of oleoeuropein. Their esters are responsible for the bitterness and pepperlike sensation occasionally dominant in the taste of olive oils. 

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