Preliminary study on the application of an electric field as a method of preservation for virgin olive oil

The objective of this study was to analyze the effect of an electric field treatment (voltage: 3 kV cm -1 , frequency: 60 Hz and time: of 5 and 25 min) on the stability of unsaturated fatty acids in virgin olive oil. Unsaturated fatty acid oxidation in the virgin olive oil was analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy in the mid infrared region, and by quality parameters (acidity, peroxide and iodine). The electric field is a suitable method to preserve this oil composition with minimal modifications without the synthetic antioxidant addition.