Evaluation of antioxidant and antifungal activities of a mixture of olive oil and pine resin

ABSTRACT In Algeria, a traditional remedy consisting of a mixture of olive oil and pine resin is widely used to treat respiratory ailments. Although the beneficial properties of olive oil are well-established, there is a notable lack of scientific research exploring its combination with pine resin. This study aimed to evaluate the total phenolic content, as well as the antioxidant and antifungal activities, of pure olive oil and its mixture with pine resin powder. The results demonstrated that incorporating pine resin powder into olive oil (OOR) led to a substantial increase in total polyphenol content (431.93±6.8mg GAE/kg) compared to pure olive oil (61.73 ± 0.5 mg GAE/kg). This enrichment was accompanied by a marked enhancement in antioxidant activity, which rose from 3.45±0.3% in olive oil alone to 40.45±2.3% in the OOR mixture. Additionally, antifungal assay showed that the OOR mixture exhibited inhibitory effects against Fusarium sp. (24.27 ± 2.71%), whereas olive oil alone (OO) displayed no antifungal activity. These findings suggest that the addition of pine resin significantly enhances the bioactive properties of olive oil by enriching its polyphenolic content, thereby improving its antioxidant capacity and imparting antifungal activity.