Inter-Varietal Diversity of Typical Volatile and Phenolic Profiles of Croatian Extra Virgin Olive Oils as Revealed by GC-IT-MS and UPLC-DAD Analysis

Abstract

Despite having an interesting native olive gene pool and a rapidly emerging olive oil industry, monovarietal extra virgin olive oils (EVOO) from Croatia are relatively unexplored. To investigate the inter-varietal diversity of typical volatile and phenolic profiles of Croatian EVOO, 93 samples from six olive (Olea europaea L.) varieties were subjected to gas chromatography-ion trap mass spectrometry (GC-IT-MS) and ultra-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection (UPLC-DAD), respectively. Quantitative descriptive sensory analysis was also performed. Analysis of variance extracted many relevant exclusive or partial discriminators between monovarietal EVOOs among the identified volatile compounds and phenols. Successful differentiation model with a 100% correct classification was built by linear discriminant analysis, while the most typical volatiles for each monovarietal EVOO were confirmed by partial least squares discriminant analysis. Diverse typical sensory attributes among the EVOOs were tentatively ascribed to the variations in the composition of volatiles and phenols. It was proven that the approach that comprises GC-IT-MS and UPLC-DAD analysis may provide additional objective information about varietal origin and typicity which successfully complement those obtained by sensory analysis. The approach was characterized as universal in nature, with a significant potential to contribute in strengthening the varietal identities and position on the market of monovarietal and Protected Denomination of Origin (PDO) EVOO.

Metabolomic Study to Evaluate the Transformations of Extra-Virgin Olive Oil’s Antioxidant Phytochemicals during In Vitro Gastrointestinal Digestion

“…Overall, the health-promoting effects of EVOO are mainly related to its inherent chemical composition, such as the fatty acid profile [6] rather than other "minor" components (nearly 2% of the total weight). This quantitatively lower fraction includes more than 200 chemically different compounds belonging to aliphatic alcohols, terpenoids, sterols, pigments, volatile compounds and (poly)-phenolic compounds [7,8]. EVOO is reported to contain at least 30 phenolic compounds, including phenolic acids and derivatives, phenolic alcohols, secoiridoids, lignans and flavones [9][10][11].…”

The Potential of Apulian Olive Biodiversity: The Case of Oliva Rossa Virgin Olive Oil

“…However, in contrast with such trend, actions have been taken toward the characterization, differentiation and valorization of monovarietal olive oils and olive biodiversity. This is proven by the rise in studies aimed at the valorization of olive biodiversity at the national [ 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 ] or local scale [ 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 ].…”

Oleocanthal Quantification Using 1H NMR Spectroscopy and Polyphenols HPLC Analysis of Olive Oil from the Bianchera/Belica Cultivar

“…The world’s olive germplasm contains more than 2629 different varieties, with many local varieties and ecotypes contributing to this richness; in Italy, about 800 cultivars are present [ 22 , 23 ]. The cultivar Bianchera is an autochthonous variety of Trieste, a city located in the eastern part of northern Italy, but it is also cultivated in the Slovenian and Croatian peninsula of Istria, where it is named Belica (Slovenia) and Bjelica (Croatia) [ 24 , 25 ]. Its characteristic is to be resistant to low temperatures and strong wind, typical of the city of Trieste, and since phenols are usually produced by the plant for protection against stress, in the present work, a complete characterisation of the phenols found in olive oil, olive leaves and pomace was performed.…”