Summary:
Firstly, the botanic description of the Olea europaea plant is presented with a reference to its family, its genus and its variety. The basic morphological characteristics and the conditions of its development are described. Moreover, information for its history and its presence from the ancient times till nowadays and its connection to the Greek society and tradition are mentioned.
The traditional use of the leaves that has been ongoing for many centuries, as well as a reference to the different ways of extracting and the signs that exist today for their action in a variety of pathological situations, are presented.
The chemical composition is significantly analysed, whereas there is a more detailed report for the polyphenols, mainly oleuropein. Terms such as oxidation agent, polyphenols and secondary metabolites are explained. Moreover, the metabolic path of their biosynthesis is presented.
As far as the experimental part is concerned,102 samples of olive leaves and wild olive leaves of different varieties and origins, are analysed whilst a speedy method of quantifying oleuropein with the use of UPLC technique - that lasts for 7 minutes - is developed for the first time.
Finally, the innovation of this dissertation lies on the thorough study of 22 samples of leaves that come from the same olive grove and they have been farmed under similar practices and similar developmental conditions, ergo it is possible to relate the percentage of oleuropein’s to that of the variety's.
