Design and Characteristics of Novel Sensory and Nutritionally Oriented Olive, Seed, and Nut Virgin Oils’ Blendings

Abstract

AbstractVirgin olive oil is considered a key component of the Mediterranean Diet, while nut and seed “cold‐pressed” oils stand out as an interesting ingredient due to the growing consumer demand toward so‐called gourmet and healthy oils. The main objective of this work is the development and characterization of novel virgin vegetal oils based on blendings of virgin olive oil with virgin oils obtained from seeds (sesame and flaxseed) and nuts (hazelnut and pistachio) of interest due to their peculiar nutritional and organoleptic characteristics. Oil formulations elaborated with 5% of sesame oils achieve a high content in vitamin E (842 mg kg−1, 11.8 mg per standard 14 g oil dose, corresponding to an 80% of the recommended daily intake) and with 10% of flaxseed a high level in essential α‐linolenic acid (6.4%, 0.90 mg per dose corresponding to a 66% of the recommended daily intake). In addition, sensory analysis shows that blends enriched with both 50% hazelnut oil and 75% pistachio oil not only maintain the typical aroma of virgin olive oil, but incorporate the characteristic nutty, roasty, seed‐like, and sweet sensory attributes of nuts, providing an added value to the consumers.