Chemical and Sensory Characterization of Nine Spanish Monovarietal Olive Oils: An Emphasis on Wax Esters

Clara Diarte, Agustí Romero, María Paz Romero, Jordi Graell and Isabel Lara
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Clara Diarte: Chemistry Department, Universitat de Lleida, 25198 Lleida, Spain
Agustí Romero: Oliviculture, Oil Science and Nuts, Institut de Recerca i Tecnologia Agroalimentàries (IRTA), IRTA Mas Bové, 43120 Constantí, Spain
María Paz Romero: AGROTÈCNIO-CERCA Center, 25198 Lleida, Spain
Jordi Graell: AGROTÈCNIO-CERCA Center, 25198 Lleida, Spain
Isabel Lara: Chemistry Department, Universitat de Lleida, 25198 Lleida, Spain

Agriculture, 2021, vol. 11, issue 2, 1-10

Abstract: Olive oil is an essential part of the so-called “Mediterranean diet”, purportedly one of the healthiest gastronomic traditions in the world. The wax content in olive oil is regulated under European Union directives, and it is used as a purity parameter for extra-virgin and virgin olive oils. The wax profile may also help the characterization of monovarietal olive oils. In this study, monovarietal oils were extracted from the fruits of nine native Spanish olive varieties (‘Arbequina’, ‘Argudell’, ‘Empeltre’, ‘Farga’, ‘Manzanilla’, ‘Marfil’, ‘Morrut’, ‘Picual’ and ‘Sevillenca’), and their chemical and sensory attributes were determined. Total wax content in oil was cultivar-dependent and ranged widely between 26 (‘Manzanilla’) and 144 mg kg −1 (‘Arbequina’), while it was negligible in ‘Picual’ oil. The wax ester fraction was comprised largely of phytol-containing diterpene esters, with phytyl vaccinate and phytyl arachidate being the most common components of this non-polar fraction in all nine olive oils assessed. A direct relationship between phytyl esters and the sensory perception of “ripe fruit” notes was also observed.

Keywords: chemical properties; Olea europaea; olive oil; phytyl esters; sensory attributes; wax (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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