Real time monitoring of the combined effect of chlorophyll content and light filtering packaging on virgin olive oil photo-stability using mesh cell-FTIR spectroscopy.

• Chlorophyll content has an impact on virgin olive oil photo-oxidation at 6000 lx. • Mesh cell-FTIR was used to evaluate the protection of light filtering materials. • Filtering material effect on photo-oxidation depends on chlorophyll content. • Light filtering material significantly delayed the hydroperoxide formation rate. The present work aimed at examining the combined effect of chlorophyll content and light filtering packaging material on the photo-stability of virgin olive oil (VOO) via mesh cell-FTIR spectroscopy monitoring. Four different VOOs of Koroneiki cultivar differing in total chlorophyll content (∼12–46 mg/kg) were exposed in parallel to direct visible light (6000 lx, 24 °C, 344 h) and FTIR spectra were recorded periodically with or without applying light protection by an industrial filter used for packaging. Findings suggested that the protective role of light filtering material was more evident in the VOO with the lowest total chlorophyll content. Real time monitoring of VOO by mesh cell-FTIR was found to be a useful tool to follow the combined effect of pro-oxidant chlorophylls and the protective light filtering materials on the photo-oxidation process of VOO employing a minute sample amount. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]