Abstract
Virgin olive oil (VOO) has unique chemical characteristics among all other vegetable oils which are of paramount importance for human health. VOO constituents are also responsible of its peculiar flavor, a complex sensation due to a combination of aroma, taste, texture, and mouthfeel or trigeminal sensations. VOO flavor depends primarily on the concentration and nature of volatile and phenolic compounds present in olive oil which can change dramatically depending on agronomical and technological factors. Another aspect that can change the flavor perception is linked to the oral process during olive oil tasting. In fact, in this case, some human physiological and matrix effects modulate the flavor release in the mouth. The present review aims to give an overview on VOO flavor, with particular emphasis on the mechanisms affecting its production and release during a tasting.
Highlights
Virgin olive oil (VOO) is a staple ingredient in the Mediterranean diet [1,2,3], and it is a food providing great nutritional properties due to its balanced fatty acid composition and presence of phenolic compounds, as well as unique sensory quality [4,5,6,7].VOO is obtained from the fruit of the olive tree solely by mechanical or other physical means under conditions, thermal conditions, that do not lead to alterations in the oil, and which have not undergone any treatment other than washing, decantation, centrifugation and filtration [8]
Among the many commercial categories existing for olive oil, extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) has high standards in terms of composition as well as sensory characteristics assessed by recognized panels [8]
In relation to the age of the technological plant and technology applied, it can require the addition of some water, the amount of which can influence the final content of phenolic compounds and overall quality of VOO [104,107,108,109]
Summary
Virgin olive oil (VOO) is a staple ingredient in the Mediterranean diet [1,2,3], and it is a food providing great nutritional properties due to its balanced fatty acid composition and presence of phenolic compounds, as well as unique sensory quality [4,5,6,7]. From a sensory and chemical point of view, it is a complex food mainly composed by triacylglycerols, which account to 98% of the total composition, and a series of minor constituents that are of paramount importance for its health significance and sensory implication [9] This minor fraction comprises free fatty acids, phenols, tocopherols, sterols, phospholipids, waxes, squalene, other hydrocarbons and volatile compounds. Investigating the factors that influence VOO flavor is of importance for the production and appreciation of a successful product
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