Chemical characterization and antimicrobial potential of two extra virgin olive oils of Olea europaea var. sylvestris and Olea europaea subsp. laperrinei

The purpose of this research was to investigate a comparative evaluation of the chemical profiles of extra virgin olive oils (EVOOs) obtained from two wild olives such as Olea europea subsp. laperrinei from the Sahara and Olea europaea var. sylvestris from north of Algeria, as well as to assess their antibacterial activities. Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry analysis (GC-MS) was used to identify the constituents of the two EVOOs, and the disc diffusion method was used to evaluate their antibacterial activity against seven bacterial strains. GC-MS analysis revealed 22 components from O. europaea var. sylvestris, with squalene (27.87%), oleic acid (17.27%), palmitic acid (14.31%) and linoleic acid (6.87%) as major constituents, while 14 components were identified in O. europaea subsp. laperrinei oil, with palmitic acid (27.98%) is the main compound followed by Linoleic acid (25.99%), oleic acid (17.43%) and squalene (13.43%). Furthermore, unsaturated fatty acids are the predominant fraction in the two EVOOs. The results indicate that the effect of the two EVOOs on positive bacteria is greater than on negative bacteria. In addition, the EVOO from O. europaea subsp. laperrinei exhibited the highest range of inhibition with all bacterial strains tested, in which S. aureus (MRSA), P. aeruginosa, S. aureus and B. subtilis are the sensitive strains, however, K. pneumoniae and E. faecalis are extremely resistant to the two EVOOs. These results demonstrate the nutritional value and the medicinal properties of EVOOs.