Abstract
Olive oil mill wastewater (OMW) is a major waste stream generated in olive oil industry. It is highly polluted due to phenolic compounds. The present study focused on the physicochemical properties of OMW as well as the quantitative and qualitative effects of two extraction methods of phenolic compounds which were liquid-liquid and maceration methods. Spectrophotometry and high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS) were adopted to quantify the phytochemical contents and the phenolic compounds. The extract obtained by the maceration method showed the highest yields of total polyphenol, flavonoid, and tannin contents. The LC-MS results revealed the presence of 16 phenolic compounds in the macerated, and only 12 phenolic compounds were found in the extract of the second method. Quinic acid was identified as the most abundant compound. Moreover, the macerated extracts possessed the highest antioxidant potential as evidenced by their strong ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and their 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonate) (ABTS) radical scavenging activities. The phytochemical contents, as well as the antioxidant potentials of OMW after extraction using maceration, were significantly greater than using liquid-liquid method. Therefore, maceration seemed to be the most effective method for extracting phenolic compounds from OMW. The OMW constitute a rich source of natural phenolic compounds that could be used as a potential source of natural antioxidants.