Abstract
This research was conducted to evaluate consumer preferences of seven extra virgin olive oils (EVOOs) from foreign and Tunisian cultivars. Two studies were carried out. The first is a comparative physicochemical characterization of the VOOs tasted by the consumers. The second is a consumer survey where each consumer tasted each VOO six times. Using simple linear regressions, we have performed a new method that gives a pairwise comparison between the oils. It revealed that Coratina and Chetoui cultivars were the most preferred revealing by the high concentration of polyphenols with 468 and 525 ppm, respectively, and Arbequina was the less preferred with 182 ppm. We have then performed a principal component analysis on the data composed by the physicochemical parameters that highly discriminate between cultivars. The latter showed important differences between the most and the less preferred oils and that oxidative stability, palmitic, palmitoleic, oleic, and linoleic fatty acids, triacylglycerol, β-carotene, and polyphenols seem to be the principal-choice drivers for consumers.
Highlights
Oleiculture is an important economic activity in Tunisia, which devotes 30% of its cultivated lands to olive growing
Tunisian consumers have always been accustomed to the consumption of olive oil since olive cultivation in Tunisia dates back to the 8th century B.C. e olive tree was cultivated by the Phoenicians, the Greeks, the Carthaginians, the Romans, and the Arabs, in a tradition that has been passed down from father to son ever since
Few were concerned with the evaluation of olive oil in terms of its consumer and their preference. e applicability of the results is debatable as the consumers’ capacity and knowledge level to distinguish between the olive oil varieties is unknown for us. erefore, the present paper focuses on the consumer preferences of seven Tunisian and foreign virgin olive oil cultivars, Chemlali, Chetoui, Leguim, Chemcheli, Zalmati, Arbequina, and Coratina, according to their liking and physicochemical profiles
Summary
Oleiculture is an important economic activity in Tunisia, which devotes 30% of its cultivated lands to olive growing. Tunisia is ranked second after Spain contributing to 5.6% of the world production. One of the most important characteristics in a product is for it to be fresh or recently made. The freshness of a product is associated with quality and safety. Is preference covers numerous aspects that are related to the cultivar of olive trees, their geographical sites, the technological process, the storage, the packaging, and the physicochemical and sensory characteristics of olive oil. Olive oil is characterized by a Journal of Food Quality
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
