With the aim to expand the olive oil market to a larger number of consumers who are not familiar with the sensory characteristics of virgin olive oil, the use of novel products known as "flavored olive oils", obtained by adding different kind of spices and aromatic herbs, is spreading in many countries. In order to test consumer acceptability of this type of product, in a country (Tunisia) in which virgin olive oil is regularly consumed, flavored olive oils were prepared by adding aromatic extracts of thyme, oregano, a mix of herbs (used as pizza seasoning), rosemary, and basil to a monovarietal Chemlali virgin olive oil and a consumer test on 206 subjects was performed. Selected quality parameters (free acidity, peroxide number, oxidative stability, specific absorption at K 232 nm and K 270 nm) were also measured and no significant variations were detected. Slight differences were found concerning the content of minor compounds (chlorophylls, carotenoids and total phenols). On the other hand, notable differences were seen in the profiles of volatile compounds, which appeared to be responsible for the observed variability in consumer acceptance. Although the unflavored oil was more appreciated than the flavored ones, among the latter, thyme flavored olive oil was the most appreciated.

The presence of flavored olive oils (FOO) on the market represents an answer to an increasing consumer demand for novel and healthy food. This work aims to compare the sensory acceptability and the thermal stability of FOO prepared by mixing different flavors (lemon, onion, garlic, paprika) to an extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) also used as the control sample. 96 Tunisian citizens were involved in a consumer test and the lemon flavored oil was the most liked whereas the least liked was the oil with onion. Samples were subjected to different heat treatments (60 °C, 100 °C, 200 °C for 1, 2, 4, 8 hours) and the flavor addition did not influence the EVOO stability when samples were heated at 60 °C, whereas at 200 °C the FOO with onion and garlic showed higher oxidative stability. The thermo-oxidation process at 60 °C and at 100 °C of the FOOs was not detrimental for the volatile compound markers but the effect was noticeable for all these markers at 200 °C.