Abstract
Olive trees, originated from Mediterranean, have been cultivated in China for decades and show great adaption to local environment. However, research on this topic is limited. In this study, the major qualitative characteristics and changes of olive grown in southwest China were investigated. The results showed that oil accumulated during fruit development and reached its maximum value when fruit had fully ripened. Phenolic and flavonoid contents increase rapidly in the early growth stage (0–90 DAFB) and then begin to decrease as fruit ripens. Compared with olive from the Mediterranean, olive from China has special characteristics: higher moisture content in the fruit combined with lower percentages of unsaturated fatty acids and oil content. This is due to southwest China's climate which is wetter and cooler compared to the Mediterranean. Our study suggests that southwest China's higher annual rainfall might contribute to higher fruit moisture content while its low temperatures would be conducive to higher unsaturated fatty acid levels in the fruit.
Highlights
The olive (Olea europaea L.) is a famous edible oil tree crop worldwide and has great commercial value due to its peculiar nutritional benefits (Conde et al, 2008)
Olives planted in high-altitude locations are rich in monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), while olives planted in low-altitude locations are rich in saturated fatty acids (SFA) (Nergiz and Ergönül, 2009)
The sugar content differed among the varieties during the growth period (p < 0.05); this difference began to decrease as the fruit ripened, which may be related to high oil accumulation during fruit ripening. (Figures 2C,D). These results indicated that the high oil content is complementary for the low sugar content in olive fruit
Summary
The olive (Olea europaea L.) is a famous edible oil tree crop worldwide and has great commercial value due to its peculiar nutritional benefits (Conde et al, 2008). The major qualitative characteristics of olive fruits include fruit weight, oil content, phenolics profile, and fatty acid composition, etc. In recent years, many studies have shown that environmental factors (such as temperature and moisture) play an important role in determining olive qualitative characteristics (Ranalli et al, 1999; Vinha et al, 2005; Temime et al, 2006; Bakhouche et al, 2013). Too much rainfall in the fruiting season decreases the phenolic content but only slightly influences oil content and fatty acid composition (Ranalli et al, 1999; Patumi et al, 2002).
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