Resumen:
live seeds, a potential food by-product from both table olive and olive oil industries, were examined for their overall proximate composition, oil, protein, mineral and phenolic components. Proximate analysis indicates that olive seeds are an unusually rich source of total dietary fibre (% 47% dry weight basis, DWB), as well as lipids (% 30%) and proteins (% 17%). Oil composition shows high levels of oleic (% 62% of total fatty acids) andlinoleic (% 24%) acids, moderate concentrations of tocopherols (% 460 mg/kg) and squalene (% 194 mg/kg), and relatively high amounts of several sterols and non-steroidaltriterpenoids. Olive seed proteins are a rich source of essential amino acids (about 46% of the total AA content). Olive seeds also contain significant amounts of some essential macro-elements (K, Ca, Mg, Na, P) and microelements (Zn, Mn, Cu). Phenolic compounds are present at relatively high quantities (% 2.8 mg/g seed, DWB); the most abundant belong to the group of secoir