Extra Virgin Research Articles

Corn starch and gelatin-based films added with guabiroba pulp for application in food packaging

Abstract The guabiroba pulp (GP) has natural antioxidant compounds, such as phenolic compounds and ascorbic acid. The aim of this work was to produce an active biodegradable film based on blends of gelatin (GEL) and corn starch (NCS) and activated with GP, for application as package for extra-virgin olive oil, as a sachet. For that, the effect of blends composition was first evaluated in passive films, and then, a formulation was chosen to produce the active film with guabiroba pulp. The effect of the incorporation of GP on the barrier, mechanical and optical properties of these films was studied, and the antioxidant effect on the storage of extra virgin olive oil was verified in a specific test. Blends with GEL (5 and 10%) and NCS (2 and 4%) were prepared, in the different ratios. The film with 5% GEL and 2% NCS in the 1:1 ratio, was selected for the addition of GP (10 and 20%). The addition of GP caused a reduction in tensile strength and increased elongation values. The film with 10% GP was selected for the preparation of the sachet, due to its lower value of water vapor permeability. At the end of the storage period (15 days), the values of acidity index and peroxide index of the extra-virgin olive oil did not reach the maximum limit allowed by the current legislation. It can be concluded that the results obtained may be useful for future studies and applications using active and biodegradable packaging.

Comparison of different classification methods for analyzing fluorescence spectra to characterize type and freshness of olive oils

The potential of synchronous fluorescence spectroscopic measurements for the classification of olive oil samples with respect to type (extra virgin/refined) and shelf-life condition (expired/non-expired) was examined. Data multidimensionality was reduced by application of the PCA method. Six classification methods, namely, LDA, QDA, RDA, KNN, SVM, and RF, were used to analyze fluorescence data. Classification accuracy was employed to evaluate the performance of these methods for the classification of olive oil samples. The results indicate that fresh and expired olive oils produced with different methods, extra virgin (cold pressed) and refined, are characterized by different fluorescence spectra. KNN and SVM outperform the other classification methods in distinguishing olive oils. The lowest classification error rates were obtained with these two classification methods for measurements at the wavelength interval of 30 nm, and equaled 5.4, 5.7 and 2.9, 3.5% for the four and three classes’ models, respectively.

HS-GC-IMS and chemometric data treatment for food authenticity assessment: Olive oil mapping and classification through two different devices as an example

There is a lack of official analytical methods to classify olive oil samples according to its organoleptic quality. For that, headspace-gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (HS-GC-IMS) was applied and two devices with different technical configurations were compared; a commercial isothermal HS-GC-IMS with a 5 cm drift tube and a new HS-GC-IMS prototype, which works at ramped temperature and presents a 10 cm drift tube. Both devices were compared in terms of resolution, precision and classification rates (CRs) using a 30 m non-polar capillary column. Our results suggested that the resolution in the chromatographic separation was improved using the device in which a ramped temperature can be performed in a shorter analysis time and the resolution in the ion mobility separation was also better. The repeatability values (RSD) for the standards quality control were lower than 10% in both cases. Moreover, as revealed in the olive oil 2D-maps, a higher number of markers were detected by the isothermal HS-GC-IMS (91) than that for the ramped temperature device (76), probably explained by the different sensitivity of both devices. These markers were used to build chemometric models based on orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis. The olive oil samples in the validation set could be classified into extra virgin, virgin and lampante, defective and non-defective, as well as edible and non-edible with CRs ranging from 83 to 100%. In order to improve the resolution, a 60 m non-polar column was used in the ramped temperature HS-GC-IMS and enabled an increase in the visualized markers to 128, but it required a longer analysis time. The repeatability values were also lower than 10% and the CRs were improved (94–100%). Finally, 21, 22 and 25 olive oil aroma compounds were identified using the isothermal (30 m column) and the ramped temperature HS-GC-IMS with 30 and 60 m columns, respectively. Although some of these markers may give clues about the olive oil category, the chemometrics processing approach offers an objective tool for a robust classification and it is easily transferable to the industry.

Effect of phenolic extracts from different extra-virgin olive oil varieties on osteoblast-like cells.

The reported incidence of osteoporosis is lower in countries in which the Mediterranean diet predominates, and this apparent relationship may be mediated by the phenolic compounds present in olive oil. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of phenolic extracts from different varieties of extra-virgin olive oil (Picual, Arbequina, Picudo, and Hojiblanca) on the differentiation, antigenic expression, and phagocytic capacity of osteoblast-like MG-63 cells. At 24 h of treatment a significant increase in phosphatase alkaline activity and significant reductions in CD54, CD80, and HLA-DR expression and in phagocytic activity were observed in comparison to untreated controls. The in vitro study performed has demonstrated that phenolic compounds from different extra virgin olive oil varieties can modulate different parameters related to osteoblast differentiation and function.

A taste sensor device for unmasking admixing of rancid or winey-vinegary olive oil to extra virgin olive oil

Electrochemical sensor devices have gathered great attention in food analysis namely for olive oil evaluation. The adulteration of extra-virgin olive oil with lower-grade olive oil is a common worldwide fraudulent practice, which detection is a challenging task. The potentiometric fingerprints recorded by lipid polymeric sensor membranes of an electronic tongue, together with linear discriminant analysis and simulated annealing meta-heuristic algorithm, enabled the detection of extra-virgin olive oil adulterated with olive oil for which an intense sensory defect could be perceived, specifically rancid or winey-vinegary negative sensations. The homemade designed taste device allowed the identification of admixing of extra-virgin olive oil with more than 2.5% or 5% of rancid or winey-vinegary olive oil, respectively. Predictive mean sensitivities of 84 ± 4% or 92 ± 4% and specificities of 79 ± 6% or 93 ± 3% were obtained for rancid or winey-vinegary adulterations, respectively, regarding an internal-validation procedure based on a repeated K-fold cross-validation variant (4 folds × 10 repeats, ensuring that the dataset was forty times randomly split into 4 folds, leaving 25% of the data for validation purposes). This performance was satisfactory since, according to the legal physicochemical and sensory analysis, the intentionally adulterated olive oil with percentages of 2.5–10%, could still be commercialized as virgin olive oil. It could also be concluded that at a 5% significance level, the trained panelists could not distinguish extra-virgin olive oil samples from those adulterated with 2.5% of rancid olive oil or up to 5% of winey-vinegary olive oil. Thus, the electronic tongue proposed in this study can be foreseen as a practical and powerful tool to detect this kind of worldwide common fraudulent practice of high quality olive oil.

Effect of the Super Absorbent Polymer Stockosorb® on leaf turgor pressure, tree performance and oil quality of olive trees cv. Chemlali grown under field conditions in an arid region of Tunisia

The effects of soil amendment with the hydrophilic polymer Stockosorb® on the physical properties of the soil as well as on physiological parameters (turgor pressure, stomatal conductance, chlorophyll fluorescence) and yield (vegetative growth, fruit characteristics, oil yield and quality) of an established olive crop cultivated under rainfed conditions, were investigated in Tunisia during the 2014 growing season.Stockosorb® hydrogel was applied by injection in the soil around olive trees (TS) and compared to a control plot (TC) without hydrogel application. The results showed that water content was generally higher in hydrogel amended soils compared to the control soil. The seasonal leaf patch output pressure (Pp) readings revealed that trees with Stockosorb® treatment had the highest water status and were moderately stressed in comparison to control trees which were severely stressed due to the poor water status during the vegetative growth and fruiting period. The application of Stockosorb® in the root zone of olive trees significantly increased midday stomatal conductance (gs) and the maximal quantum efficiency (Fv/Fm). Shoot growth, oil yield and rainwater use efficiency were strongly improved by the Stockosorb® amendment to the soil, however oil quality still within the threshold limits set for an ‘Extra virgin' classified olive oil.

Extracción termomecánica y caracterización fisicoquímica del aceite de aguacate (Persea americana Mill. cv. Hass)

Se realizó la extracción del aceite de la pulpa de frutos de aguacate (Persea americana Mill. cv. Hass) en madurez organoléptica correspondiente al día doce después de cosechado, por ser el día que presentó mayor concentración lipídica equivalente al 20% ± 2. Se utilizó el sistema de extracción mediante un proceso termomecánico, la variable respuesta fue el rendimiento de aceite obtenido expresado en porcentaje y la variable control fue la temperatura de extracción. La caracterización fisicoquímica; índice de yodo, índice de acidez (%) expresado como ácido oleico,índice de saponificación (mg KOH/g), índice de refracción a 25°C, índice de peróxidos (meq O2/Kg), índice de peróxidos (meq O2/Kg), punto de fusión (°C), punto de humo (°C), vitamina E, capacidad antioxidante, fenoles totales, y el perfil lipídico de los ácidos grasos se realizó al aceite obtenido con temperatura de extracción de 55 °C por ser ésta la que presentó mayor porcentaje de rendimiento equivalente al 60,2% respecto a la concentración total de aceite presente en la pulpa. El aceite de aguacate obtenido puede clasificarse como extra virgen, con alto contenido en ácidos grasos ω3, ω6 y Vitamina E correspondiente a 759,29 mg/100g, 12.862,30 mg/100 g y 10,11 mg/100 g respectivamente, lo cual posiciona el aceite de aguacate como un alimento altamente nutritivo y potencialmente funcional.

Application of an electronic tongue for Tunisian olive oils’ classification according to olive cultivar or physicochemical parameters

Olive oil commercialization has a great impact on the economy of several countries, namely Tunisia, being prone to frauds. Therefore, it is important to establish analytical techniques to ensure labeling correctness concerning olive oil quality and olive cultivar. Traditional analytical techniques are quite expensive, time consuming and hardly applied in situ, considering the harsh environments of the olive industry. In this work, the feasibility of applying a potentiometric electronic tongue with cross-sensitivity lipid membranes to discriminate Tunisian olive oils according to their quality level (i.e., extra virgin, virgin or lampante olive oils) or autochthonous olive cultivar (i.e., cv Chetoui and cv Shali) was evaluated for the first time. Linear discrimination analysis coupled with the simulated annealing variable selection algorithm showed that the signal profiles of olive oils’ hydroethanolic extracts allowed olive oils discrimination according to physicochemical quality level (classification model based on 25 signals enabling 84 ± 9% correct classifications for repeated K-fold cross-validation), and olive cultivar (classification model based on 20 signals with an average sensitivity of 94 ± 6% for repeated K-fold cross-validation), regardless of the geographical origin and olive variety or the olive quality, respectively. The results confirmed, for the first time, the potential discrimination of the electronic tongue, attributed to the observed quantitative response (sensitivities ranging from −66.6 to +57.7 mV/decade) of the E-tongue multi-sensors towards standard solutions of polar compounds (aldehydes, esters and alcohols) usually found in olive oils and that are related to their sensory positive attributes like green and fruity.

Preference for olive oil consumption in the Spanish local market

It is becoming ever more important for the olive oil industry in Spain to adopt a business strategy based on client orientation. In this sense, the objective of this paper is to identify the preferences of olive oil consumers and propose a series of business strategies for the producing sector. The methodology consisted in a survey of 404 olive oil consumers during the months of January and February 2013, whose preferences were determined through several multivariate techniques (conjoint analysis, consumer segmentation and a simulation of market share). The preferred olive oil is low priced, extra virgin and organic. The type of bottle does not appear to be relevant in the buying decision process, although it might be a factor in increasing market share. The current economic crisis has resulted in the emergence of two consumer segments; 67.1% of consumers selected the olive oil they buy on the basis of price and 32.9% were guided by the product’s specific attributes, which include, for example, organic production, which can be another differentiating element for producing companies.

Extra virgin olive oil consumption reduces the risk of osteoporotic fractures in the PREDIMED trial

The incidence of osteoporotic fractures is lower in countries in the Mediterranean basin. Virgin olive oil, a key component of the Mediterranean Diet (MDiet), with recognised beneficial effects on metabolism and cardiovascular health, may decrease the risk of osteoporotic fractures. The aim to this study was to explore the effect of chronic consumption of total olive oil and its varieties on the risk of osteoporosis-related fractures in a middle-aged and elderly Mediterranean population. We included all participants (n=870) recruited in the Reus (Spain) centre of the PREvención con DIeta MEDiterránea (PREDIMED) trial. Individuals, aged 55-80years at high cardiovascular risk, were randomized to a MedDiet supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil, a MedDiet supplemented with nuts, or a low-fat diet. The present analysis was an observational cohort study nested in the trial. A validated food frequency questionnaire was used to assess dietary habits and olive oil consumption. Information on total osteoporotic fractures was obtained from a systematic review of medical records. The association between yearly repeated measurements of olive oil consumption and fracture risk was assessed by multivariate Cox proportional hazards. We documented 114 incident cases of osteoporosis-related fractures during a median follow-up of 8.9 years. Treatment allocation had no effect on fracture risk. Participants in the highest tertile of extra-virgin olive oil consumption had a 51% lower risk of fractures (HR:0.49; 95% CI:0.29-0.81. P for trend=0.004) compared to those in the lowest tertile after adjusting for potential confounders. Total and common olive oil consumption was not associated with fracture risk. Higher consumption of extra-virgin olive oil is associated with a lower risk of osteoporosis-related fractures in middle-aged and elderly Mediterranean population at high cardiovascular risk.

Double extraction of olive oil in large oil mills of Southern Italy: Effects on extraction efficiency, oil quality, and economy of the process

In recent years, in Italy, some large oil mills, equipped with centrifugal decanter at high loading capacity have adopted the complex diagram of the double extraction of oil and, in addition, have been supplied with suitable machine to recover part of stone fragments from olive pomace with the aim to reduce the costs. Our experimental tests were carried out in a large oil mill, located in Apulia region, which processes olives of Olea europaea L. “Coratina” cultivar by double centrifugation of olive pastes prepared by using the double crushing (millstones and metallic crusher) or the single crushing (metallic crusher). The results showed that the oil yield of the first extraction was high (between 85 and 86%), regardless to the method used for olive crushing. The quality of virgin olive oil of the first extraction was extra virgin with some differences due to the different batches of olives and, in part, also to the used crushing methods. The oil of the second extraction was recovered in a low quantity (0.3 kg/100 kg olives) and its composition was not normal only for the percentage of triterpene dialcohols. The recovery of stone fragments was satisfying (about 0.13 t/t olives) and helped to significantly increase the income of oil mill.Practical applications: The double extraction of oil, by the centrifugation system, and the recovery of SF allow to reduce the costs of olive processing in medium‐big sized oil mills. The second centrifugation, which permits to recover about 3 kg of oil/t of olives, and the recovery of SF, suitable to sell as fuel, allow to increase the income of oil mill.The double extraction of oil, by the centrifugation system and the recovery of olive stone fragments (SF) allow to reduce the costs of olive processing in medium‐big sized oil mills. The second centrifugation, which permits to recover about 3 kg of oil/t of olives, and the recovery of SF, suitable to sell as fuel, allow to increase the income of oil mill.

Polar lipid profiling of olive oils as a useful tool in helping to decipher their unique fingerprint

Olive oil (OO), a key ingredient of the Mediterranean diet, is frequently subjected to adulteration. A lipidomic approach has been used to study the lipid composition of Portuguese commercial OOs, to find out differences in their profile or a unique fingerprint, namely in the polar lipid pool. Extra virgin (EVOO, n = 3) and virgin olive oils (VOO, n = 3) were analysed. The fatty acids (FA) were analysed by GC-MS and the triacylglycerols by MALDI-TOF-MS. The polar lipid fraction was obtained through solid phase extraction and analysed by hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-MS. The amount of FA C16:0 and C18:1 was significantly different between the EVOOs and the VOOs. Both categories of OO were discriminated by the FAs C18:3, C18:2 and C16:1. Five classes of phospholipids were identified in the polar lipid fraction, with significant differences in phosphatidylcholines. Besides FA, it is important to study the polar lipidome to identify minor components that could help to reveal a fingerprint associated with each OO.

Alkyl esters content and other quality parameters in oil mill: A response surface methodology study

The quality of the olives oil can be altered during their processing. This paper studies the influence that the washing of olive oils has on their alkyl esters content and on other quality parameters. A Central Composite Rotatable Design (CCRD) with five center points has been used to modify the factors, rotational frequency of the motor of the vertical centrifuge (between 34 and 47 Hz) and percentage of added water (between 6 and 34%). Results show that the content in alkyl esters of olive oils increases by the flow from the decanter to the vertical centrifuge. The use of water in the vertical centrifuge decreases the content in ethyl and methyl esters 0.8 and 0.6 mg/kg, respectively, per percentage unit of added water. The acidity, peroxide index, K232, chlorophyll, and carotenoid contents are slightly altered by the oil flow from the decanter to vertical centrifuge, but not by operating factors. K270, total polyphenols and orthodiphenols change with the speed of the vertical centrifuge, but water does not affect them. For the normal operation frequency of the centrifuge (50 Hz), K270 is increased about 14%, while the total polyphenols and orthodiphenols decrease by 27 and 62%, respectively.Practical applications: Quality control of olive oils (virgin and extra virgin).Olive‐oil production process: differences in the content of EE and TP between the vertical centrifuge way out and the decanter way out.

Evaluation of the use of treated municipal waste water on the yield, oil quality, free fatty acids’ profile and nutrient levels in olive trees cv Koroneiki, in Greece

Tertiary reclaimed municipal wastewater was used in order to assess its effectiveness in irrigating olive trees cv Koroneiki against fresh water (FW), for two consecutive cultivating periods. A total of 140 olive trees were used and olive production, oil quality, oil free fatty acid profile and olive nutrition were assessed. The treated municipal wastewater (TMW) used was characterized by relatively low electrical conductivity values, still higher than the FW and higher NH4, Cl, K, Na, Fe, B, Al and Mn concentration than FW. The application of TMW slightly increased fruit production during the year of high tree yield (15.92kg fruit per tree versus 12.73kg per tree under FW irrigation) as well as the oil content, during the year of low yield (18.21% versus 16.43% under FW irrigation). It did not have any significant effect on the oil quality characteristics, such as free acidity, K270, K232, peroxide value and Delta K index. The irrigation treatment did not have any significant effect on the free fatty acid profile of the oil. Oleic acid was the dominant free fatty acid in the oil (ranging from 77.7 to 78.6%), followed by palmitic (10.6–11.1%), linoleic (5.5–5.8%) and stearic acid (2.5–2.8%), with their concentration falling within the range of the values for characterizing it as “Extra virgin” olive oil. The levels of K, Ca, Mg, Mn, Fe and Zn in the leaves increased with the application of TMW compared to FW, while the continuous use of TMW for two years led to a significant increase of P, Mg, Fe, Mn and Zn levels. The use of TMW under the experimental conditions described in the present study could be a valuable and profitable alternative to the use of FW in short term, by improving tree nutritional condition and enhancing oil production of superior quality.

FTIR Spectroscopy and PLS-DA Classification and Prediction of Four Commercial Grade Virgin Olive Oils from Morocco

Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) coupled to chemometrics was shown to be a useful method to classify and predict the quality of four commercial grade virgin olive oils (VOO). FTIR and physicochemical data were collected using a set of 70 samples representing extra virgin (EV), virgin (V), ordinary virgin (OV), and lampante (L) commercial grade olive oils collected in Beni Mellal region (central Morocco). Two partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) models using physicochemical data and FTIR data were established and compared. The PLS-DA model using only physicochemical data was not accurate enough to distinguish satisfactorily among OV, V, and EV olive oil grades. On the contrary, the PLS-DA model on FTIR data was better in the calibration, able to describe 98 % of the spectral information and predicting 93 % of the VOO grades. In the external validation, this PLS-DA model accurately classified VOO commercial grades with prediction accuracy of 100 %. The proposed procedure is fast, nondestructive, simple, and easy to operate, and it is recommended for the quick monitoring of olive oil’s quality.

Determination of volatile compounds by GC–IMS to assign the quality of virgin olive oil

The characterisation of different olive oil categories (extra virgin, virgin and lampante) using Ion Mobility Spectrometry (IMS) was improved by replacing the multicapillary column (MCC) with a capillary column (CC). The data obtained with MCC–IMS and CC–IMS were evaluated, studying both the global and the specific information obtained after the analysis of the volatile fraction of olive oils. A better differentiation of the oil categories was obtained employing CC vs MCC, since the classification percentage obtained with the CC–IMS was 92% as opposed to 87% obtained with MCC–IMS; although in productivity analytical terms, MCC offer a faster analysis than GC. The specific information obtained was also used to build a database, with a view to facilitating the characterization of specific attributes of olive oils. A total of 26 volatile metabolites (aldehydes, ketones, alcohols and esters) were identified. Finally, as revealed by an ANOVA test, some volatiles differed markedly in content among the different categories of oil. The data obtained confirms the potential of IMS as a reliable analytical screening technique, which can be used to assign the correct category to an olive oil sample.

Chemical composition and sensory evaluation of virgin olive oils from “Morisca” and “Carrasqueña” olive varieties

Two varieties of olive fruit (“Morisca” and “Carrasquena”), in different ripening stages, have been characterized on the basis of the study of major (triglycerides and fatty acids) and minor compounds (sterols and triterpenics dialcohols) as well as of total phenols, oxidative stability and sensory characteristics. The “Carrasquena” variety was found to be statistically steadier and more intense in sensory notes. The peroxide index, oxidative stability, sensory notes, oleic and linoleic acid, oxidative susceptibility, MUFA/PUFA, the main triacylglycerides (OOO, POO, OLO, and PLO+SLE), ΔECN42, total sterolic and triterpenic dialcohol composition were used to discriminate these varieties. The results of the regulated parameters led to the classification of the analyzed oils into the “extra virgin” category, except for sensory characteristics. These results are very interesting because of the high percentage of EVOO obtained, for both varieties in oils from the “almazara”, or mill, to ensure that oils from the olive-growing area have a good level of quality.

Influence of the fruit's ripeness on virgin olive oil quality.

Virgin Olive Oil (VOO) is a product much demanded by consumers looking for the highest quality and certain traits considered to be typical of the Mediterranean area. The olive fruit's properties and the industry-regulated physicochemical and sensory parameters of seven cultivars were evaluated during the ripening process. In general, the oil percentage in both the wet and dry material increased for all the cultivars from the green to the spotted stages of maturation, and they stayed constant statistically until the ripe stage with just a few exceptions. The lowest oil content was observed in the Manzanilla Cacereña cultivar in all stages of maturation. The cultivars that presented the lowest oil yields in the Abencor system were Manzanilla Cacereña and Carrasqueña, and the highest Corniche. In general, all the cultivars except one presented good behaviour during the mixing process, the exception being Manzanilla Cacereña which presented the lowest values of the extractability percentage. The moisture content of the olives presented a common pattern, increasing from the green to the spotted stage, with the differences being significant in the Corniche, Picual, and Verdial de Badajoz cultivars. All the oils analysed were classified into the "extra virgin" category according to the results for the regulated parameters. The fruity, bitter, and pungent attributes decreased during ripening in all the cultivars studied. In the green stage of maturation, Arbequina had the least intensity of bitterness and pungency, but there were no significant differences among cultivars in the fruity attribute.

Thermal Degradation of Vegetable Oils: Spectroscopic Measurement and Analysis

The paper deals with measuring of structural changes in edible oils during their heating giving arise to unsafe degradation products. The attention is paid to the major decomposition product of heated oxidized linoleate and content of carotenoids with antioxidant effects. Analysis is based on Raman spectral data that provide unique information about the structure of the oils. Raman spectroscopy offers effective and rapid way for oils quality control with respect to their health benefits and in terms of processes in food technology. Three most common vegetable oils were used for the thermal degradation study: sunflower, canola and olive oil. Measured were both, extra virgin and refined oils. Mathematically processed spectral data indicate the least action of thermal load for olive oils. Then due to a significant content of antioxidants it is canola oil. The worst effect in terms of thermal decomposition products formation and the loss of cis double bonds arise for sunflower oils.

Validation of SPME–GCMS method for the analysis of virgin olive oil volatiles responsible for sensory defects

Volatile compounds are responsible for the aroma of virgin olive oil and also for its quality. The high number and different nature of volatile compounds drive to the need of a reliable analytical method that allows their proper quantification to explain the standard method of panel test. Although there are some analytical solutions available, they have not been validated and the regulatory bodies are reluctant to adopt them since they can be subjected to unknown errors. In this regards, the European Union has encouraged the validation of these analytical tools through the research program Horizon2020, which involves gaining knowledge from the analytical properties of the chemical methods for sensory assessment. This work is focused on the analytical validation of the methodology used to determine the actual concentration of volatiles in virgin olive oils when applying SPME–GCMS. The validation process includes the calibration curves for 29 volatile compounds responsible for the most common sensory perceptions in virgin olive oils, the determination of their working ranges with linear response, the detection and quantification limits, the sensitivity, the accuracy estimated as trueness and precision and the selectivity. Sixty-seven percent of the compounds presented a relative standard deviation in repeatability lower than 10%, and this percentage rises to 95% in lampante virgin olive oils. The accuracy was established in 97% of the studied volatile compounds. Finally, an empirical example of the ability of the method to discriminate virgin olive oils of different categories (extra virgin, virgin, ordinary and lampante) by the quantification of their volatiles is provided.