article · European Food Research and Technology
This study examined how cultivar type and fruit ripening stages influence the mineral composition of olive leaves and the physicochemical characteristics of olive oil. Four Mediterranean cultivars, namely Arbequina, Haouzia, Menara, and Picholine Languedoc, were evaluated at early and full ripening stages. While soil mineral profiles showed no significant differences, leaf mineral contents and oil characteristics varied markedly between cultivars. Oleic acid and beta-sitosterol were the predominant fatty acid and phytosterol across the samples. Oils from fully ripe olives showed considerable decreases in chlorophylls, carotenoids, and polyphenols, alongside shifts in saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fatty acids that varied by cultivar. Total sterols increased at full maturity. Statistical evaluation confirmed significant correlations between leaf minerals and oil traits, indicating that these chemical profiles can serve as markers to distinguish specific olive cultivars.
Understanding how fruit ripening and cultivar genetics alter the chemical composition of olive oil is vital for producing high-quality edible oils. The identification of key chemical markers helps explain variations in nutritional elements, such as antioxidants and beneficial fatty acids, allowing producers to optimise harvest timing based on desired oil quality attributes.
This research provides applied baseline data for olive growers, oil millers, and quality control laboratories seeking to distinguish cultivars and optimise harvest timing for specific oil profiles. While the analytical methods and cultivar markers have been tested on four varieties, commercial implementation would require integrating these chemical markers into routine testing and harvest management protocols, situating this work as early-stage applied research.
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Abstract We investigated genotypic effects on the olive leaves mineral profile and its correlation with soil minerals. Likewise, olive oil extracted from four Mediterranean cultivars (‘Arbequina’, ‘Haouzia’, ‘Menara’, and ‘Picholine Languedoc’) at early and full ripening stages, was studied in terms of basic quality indices, fatty acids, sterols, pigments, and polyphenols. Our outcomes reveal important variations among cultivars and between ripening stages in terms of olive leaf elemental profiling and oil physicochemical traits, while there were no significant (p < 0.05) differences in soil mineral profiling. However, mineral profiling of leaves, basic quality indices, pigments, and polyphenols content of oils showed important inter-cultivar variations. Regarding fatty acid composition, oleic acid (C18:0) was the most abundant. For phytosterols profile, β-sitosterol was found to be the major phytosterol followed by campesterol. Olive oil from fully ripe fruits was marked by reduced chlorophylls (up to − 67.1%), carotenoids (up to − 68.73%) in ‘Menara’ and polyphenols (up to − 45.95%) in ‘Picholine Languedoc’, but an increase of total sterols (up to + 23.5%, ‘Haouzia’). Likewise, saturated (SFA) and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) tended to decrease (up to − 13.5% and − 6.44%, respectively) found in ‘Menara’. However, ‘Arbequina’ had an inceased SFA (+ 7.35%) and MUFA (+ 8.62%). Polyunsaturated fatty acids tended to increase (up to + 41.98%, ‘Menara’) except for ‘Picholine Languedoc’ (− 7.92%). These outcomes were confirmed by principal component analysis with important positive and negative correlations among minerals and oil physicochemical traits. These results showed that the analyzed components could be considered as specific markers to discriminate the studied cultivars. Graphical abstract
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DOI: 10.1007/s00217-024-04475-2
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