Influence of ripening index and water regime on the yield and quality of “Moroccan Picholine” virgin olive oil

Mohamed El Yamani,El Hassan Sakar,Yahia Rharrabti,Abdelali Boussakouran

doi:10.1051/ocl/2020015

Abstract

The purpose of this work is to evidence the effects of ripening index and water regime on the quantity and quality indices of “Moroccan Picholine” virgin olive oil (VOO) produced in northern Morocco. Olive trees were subjected to full irrigation and rainfed conditions, and olive fruits were collected at different ripening times. Results showed that the extracted volume of VOO increased during ripening, and decreased when full irrigation was applied. In regard to VOO quality, the statistical analysis revealed the predominant effect of ripening index on the majority of the considered parameters, except total phenols content that was strongly influenced by water regime. At more advanced stages of maturity, lower values of peroxide value, K232, carotenoids, chlorophylls and total phenols were registered while more free fatty acids were accumulated. Moreover, full irrigation reduced total phenols and increased free fatty acids, even if a great amount of pigment content was scored. Correlation studies showed significant relationships between pigments content and oxidation indices (peroxide value and K232).

Highlights

Olive (Olea europaea L.) is the main crop fruit in the Mediterranean basin, and olive oil is a basic component of the diet in the region (Serra-Majem et al, 2003)
The analysis of variance (ANOVA) test showed that peroxide value, pigment contents and K232 were predominantly influenced by the ripening index that assigned more than 78% of the observed variance
Free fatty acids were highly affected by ripening index (64%) and in lesser extent by water regime (29%)

Summary

Introduction

Olive (Olea europaea L.) is the main crop fruit in the Mediterranean basin, and olive oil is a basic component of the diet in the region (Serra-Majem et al, 2003). World consumption of olive oil is still increasing, even in countries that have no history of olive growing, and it is. The chemical characteristics and quality of virgin olive oil are influenced by several factors, including genotype, tree age, fruit ripening, productions area, pedoclimatic conditions, agronomic and irrigation practices and extraction process (Zamora et al, 2001; Rotondi et al, 2004; Abaza et al, 2005; Ben Temime et al, 2006; Baccouri et al, 2007; Gómez-Rico et al, 2007; Ouni et al, 2011; Jiménez et al, 2013; Yorulmaz et al, 2013; Gouvinhas et al, 2015)

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Conclusion