Abstract
Veiled extra virgin olive oil (VEVOO) is very attractive on the global market. A study was performed to highlight the role of different amounts of water and microorganisms on the evolution of VEVOO quality during storage, using the selective effects of the application of individual or combined filtration and high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) treatments. Four oil processing trials were carried out in four replicates, resulting in a full factorial design with two independent fixed factors: filtration and HPP treatments. The turbidity of all the olive oil samples was characterized. Furthermore, all the olive oil samples were analysed for legal parameters, volatile organic compounds and phenolic compounds during the storage tests. The microbial contamination in the presence of a high level of water activity (>0.6 Aw) was related to the formation of volatile aroma compounds, which were responsible for the “fusty” sensory defect. Furthermore, high water activity values were related to an increase in the hydrolytic degradation rate of the phenolic compounds. The oil turbidity has to be planned and controlled, starting from adjustment of the water content and application of good manufacturing practices.
Highlights
Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is considered a food with a long shelf life
The filtration and high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) treatments had a significant effect on the turbidity characterization parameters of the just processed olive oil samples (Table 1)
This study evaluated the EVOO qualitative changes during the storage due to microbial contamination and water content/activity
Summary
Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is considered a food with a long shelf life. EVOO undergoes several compositional changes that reduce its quality. These changes can affect both the chemical and sensory criteria that must be met for the European legal classification of EVOO as well as its nutritional value. With respect to the European legal requirements [1], the most frequently considered parameters are the amount of free fatty acids (i.e., the acidity value), peroxide values and UV index (i.e., K232, K270 and ∆K) values, in order to evaluate the level of enzymatic hydrolysis and radical oxidation of the triacylglycerols, respectively. EVOO must have both a minimum positive “fruity” attribute and no negative sensory attributes (i.e., defects). Panel testing is the official method to measure the above attributes, even though some relationships have been reported in the literature between sensory perception and volatile organic compound content [2,3]
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