Sicilian virgin olive oils and red wines: a potentially rich source of antioxidant compounds in the Mediterranean diet.

The traditional diets of Mediterranean people reflect distinct cuisines and culinary practices but naturally have a great deal in common, a particular case is the traditional Sicilian diet dominated by the high consumption of virgin olive oil, citrus fruit and a moderate consumption of wine. antioxidants represent a common element in these foods and may be important mediators of the beneficial effect of this diet. the present paper reviews the results obtained on the content in Sicilian virgin olive oils and wines of antioxidant compounds including selenium, flavonoids, resveratrol and other phenolic compounds. red wine samples from the most important sicilian authoctonous and allochtonous varieties and virgin olive oils representative of all the PDO zones of the island were included in this study. polyphenols analysis in wine and virgin olive oil samples were performed by hplc-MS and QC-MS/MS, respectively, whereas trace selenium levels were measured in olive oils by cathodic stripping chronopotentiometry. the obtained results gave evidence that sicilian red wine and virgin olive oil are an important source of antioxidant compounds, thus contributing to the health benefits of the Sicilian diet.