Identifying volatile and non-volatile organic compounds to discriminate cultivar, growth location, and stage of ripening in olive fruits and oils

February 24, 2022

Title

Identifying volatile and non-volatile organic compounds to discriminate cultivar, growth location, and stage of ripening in olive fruits and oils

Author

Maria Greco, Natasha Spadafora, Martin Shine, Ann Smith, Antonella Muto, Innocenzo Muzzalupo, Adriana Chiappetta, Leonardo Bruno, Carsten Müller, Hilary Rogers, M. Beatrice Bitonti

Year

2022

Journal

Science of Food and Agriculture

Abstract

There is increasing consumer demand for olive oil to be traceable. However, genotype, environmental factors, and stage of maturity, all affect the flavor and composition of both the olives and olive oil. Few studies have included all three variables. Key metabolites include lipids, phenolics, and a wide range of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which provide the olives and oil with their characteristic flavor. Here we aim to identify markers that are able to discriminate between cultivars, that can identify growth location, and can discriminate stages of fruit maturity. ‘Nocellara messinese’ and ‘Carolea’ olive fruits were grown at three locations differing in altitude in Calabria, Italy, and harvested at three stages of maturity. Oil was analyzed from the two most mature stages.

Instrument

V-530

Keywords

olive oil, traceable, food sciecnce