PRODUCTION OF HYDROXYTYROSOL FROM OLIVE OIL VEGETATION WATERS

Hydroxytyrosol, a polyphenolic compound of chemical and biological int erest, present as the main polyphenol in olive oil vegetation waters ( VW), was purified from VW by means of a chromatographic method based o n three steps. The compound was identified by UV, IR, H-1- and C-13-NM R and EIMS. Its preparation from a natural source, as VW, for laborato ry use (analytical and biological studies, for example) is convenient from an economic and ecological point of view. The compound, labile in air and light, was transformed into the more stable triacetyl derivat ive, which was characterized by spectroscopic analysis, using the tech niques mentioned above.