Processing Effect and Characterization of Olive Oils from Spanish Wild Olive Trees (Olea europaea var. sylvestris).

Francisco Espínola,Juan M Espínola,Manuel Moya,Alfonso M Vidal

doi:10.3390/molecules26051304

Francisco Espínola, Juan M Espínola + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26051304

Copy DOI

Abstract

Wild olive trees have important potential, but, to date, the oil from wild olives has not been studied significantly, especially from an analytical point of view. In Spain, the wild olive tree is called “Acebuche” and its fruit “Acebuchina”. The objective of this work is to optimize the olive oil production process from the Acebuchina cultivar and characterize the oil, which could be marketed as healthy and functional food. A Box–Behnken experimental design with five central points was used, along with the Response Surface Methodology to obtain a mathematical experimental model. The oils from the Acebuchina cultivar meet the requirements for human consumption and have a good balance of fatty acids. In addition, the oils are rich in antioxidants and volatile compounds. The highest extraction yield, 12.0 g oil/100 g paste, was obtained at 90.0 min and the highest yield of phenolic compounds, 870.0 mg/kg, was achieved at 40.0 °C, and 90.0 min; but the maximum content of volatile compounds, 26.9 mg/kg, was obtained at 20 °C and 30.0 min. The oil yield is lower than that of commercial cultivars, but the contents of volatile and phenolic compounds is higher.

Highlights

The olive tree is an important economic crop in the Mediterranean basin and has remarkable cultural importance
The oils from the Acebuchina cultivar meet the requirements for human consumption and have a good balance of fatty acids
The main objective of this work is to characterize the olive oil obtained from the Acebuchina olives and compare it with the oil prepared from the main commercial variety of olives in the same area, the Picual olive

Summary

Introduction

The olive tree is an important economic crop in the Mediterranean basin and has remarkable cultural importance. Sylvestris) is known as “Acebuche,” in Spain, and its fruit is known as “Acebuchina”. There is a close relationship between Acebuche and cultivated olive trees [1]. Acebuche are usually found in remote mountains and hard-to-reach places and have small oval fruits. Loureiro et al [2] were the first to estimate the genome of six Portuguese varieties of olives, including the sylvestris cultivar. Several authors consider that the differences between cultivated and wild plants are minor [3,4], but the relationships between wild Mediterranean olives and cultivated olives remains unclear [5]. Wild olive trees and cultivated olive trees can exchange genetic information

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion