Abstract
Campania, due to its pedo-climatic conditions and to its large varietal heritage, is able to produce oils with high typicity, each different from the other. In this study a “minor” autochthonous cultivar of Campania “Oliva Bianca” was analyzed. In autumn 2020, on drupes from trees belonging to the Campania germplasm collection a varietal characterization through physical, chemical and chromatic parameters at the harvest was carried out. Phenolic compounds profile, fatty acids composition and volatile organic compounds have been investigated in the resulting oil. Quality indices, organoleptic and sensory qualities (panel test) were also determined on the oil. Drupe weight was 4.31 g, flesh/pit ratio was 3.68 and the accumulation of oil content at harvest in drupes was 18.63% FW. The drupes showed high anthocyanins content equal to 116.10 mg/kg. In the oil studied, the secoiridoids represented the 82.25% of total phenolic compounds, the concentration of oleic acid was 74.82% and the most present volatile compound was trans-2-hexenal (72.30%). High secoiridoid derivatives concentrations such as oleuropein (85.93 mg/kg) and ligstroside (122.43 mg/kg) aglycones were showed. This study showed a good content of qualitative and quantitative parameters of “Oliva Bianca” oil and drupe, that can have important beneficial effects on human health.
Highlights
The olive (Olea europaea L. subsp. europaea), which originated in the Eastern Mediterranean area, has been cultivated throughout the Mediterranean basin since ancient times for its fruit and oil
Fatty acids composition and volatile organic compounds have been investigated in the resulting oil
Due to its high weight and the pulp/pit ratio, this cultivar is mainly used for oil production, the drupes are suitable and potentially marketable as table olives
Summary
The olive (Olea europaea L. subsp. europaea), which originated in the Eastern Mediterranean area, has been cultivated throughout the Mediterranean basin since ancient times for its fruit and oil. It is believed to have been domesticated as far back as 3500–3700 BC and references to the use and trade of olive oil date back to 2000–3000 BC [1]. In Italy, each region has its own local cultivars, and many seedling trees grow spontaneously and the high genotypic diversity of olive varieties could be explained by human selection in response to local environmental and agronomic conditions [2,3]. The use of the species, both as table and oil cultivars, is well-documented in these regions, with many archaeological and written relics dating back to ancient times, attested by the presence of monumental trees [4]. It is known that olive cultivar differentiation based on morphological descriptions is not reliable, as it can be influenced by environmental conditions and requires skilled staff [5]. The presence of both native and foreign olive cultivars with ambiguous naming together with the interchange of plant material over the centuries, make it difficult to ensure cultivar identification and to fully understand the pattern of geographic distribution [6]
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