Italian Extra Virgin Olive Research Articles

Rare Earth Element Variability in Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oils from Abruzzo Region.

Extra virgin olive oil is a food product from the Mediterranean area that is particularly and continuously experiencing to increasing instances of fraudulent geographical labeling. Therefore, origin protection must be improved, mainly based on its intrinsic chemical composition. This study aimed to perform a preliminary chemical characterization of Abruzzo extra virgin olive oils (EVOOs) using rare earth elements (REEs). REEs were evaluated in EVOO samples of different varieties produced in different geographical origins within the Abruzzo region (Italy) in three harvest years using ICP-MS chemometric techniques. Principal component, discriminant, and hierarchical cluster analyses were conducted to verify the influence of the variety, origin, and vintage of the REE composition. The results of a three-year study showed a uniform REE pattern and a strong correlation in most EVOOs, in particular for Y, La, Ce, and Nd. However, europium and erbium were also found in some oil samples. Compared with cultivar and origin, only the harvest year slightly influenced the REE composition, highlighting the interactions of the olive system with the climate and soil chemistry that could affect the multielement composition of EVOOs.

Direct analysis in real time of high-quality extra virgin olive oils for the rapid and automatic identification of origin trademark.

Following our previous research on the differentiation of Italian extra virgin olive oils (EVOOs) by rapid evaporative ionization mass spectrometry coupled to a tandem high resolution mass analyser, the present study deals with the evaluation of another direct mass spectrometry (direct-MS) approach for the rapid and automatic discrimination of EVOOs. In particular, direct analysis in real time (DART-MS) was explored as an ambient MS (AMS) source for the building of a top-quality Italian EVOOs database and fast identification of unknown samples. A single quadrupole detector (QDa) was coupled with DART, taking advantage of a cost-saving, user-friendly and less sophisticated instrumental setup. Particularly, quickstrip cards, located on a moving rail holder, were employed, allowing for the direct analysis of 12 EVOO spots in a total analysis time of 6 min. The aim was to develop a reliable statistical model by applying principal component and linear discriminant analyses to clusterize and classify EVOOs according to geographical origin and cultivar, as main factors determining their nutritional and sensory profiles. Satisfactory results were achieved in terms of identification reliability of unknown EVOOs, as well as false positive risk, thus confirming that the use of AMS combined with chemometrics is a powerful tool against fraudulent activities, without the need for mass accuracy data, which would increase the analysis cost. A DART ionization source with a compact and reliable QDa MS analyser allowed for rapid fingerprinting analysis. Furthermore, MS spectra provided quali-quantitative information successfully related to EVOO differentiation. © 2023 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Volatile Olfactory Profiles of Umbrian Extra Virgin Olive Oils and Their Discrimination through MOX Chemical Sensors.

Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is the best vegetable oil worldwide but, at the same time, is one of the product victims of fraud in the agri-food sector, and the differences about quality within the extra-virgin olive oil category are often missed. Several scientific techniques were applied in order to guarantee the authenticity and quality of this EVOO. In the present study, the volatile compounds (VOCs) by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry with solid-phase micro-extraction detection (GC–MS SPME), organoleptic analysis by the official Slow Food panel and the detection by a Small Sensor System (S3) were applied. Ten EVOOs from Umbria, a central Italian region, were selected from the 2021 Slow Food Italian extra virgin olive oil official guide, which includes hundreds of high-quality olive oils. The results demonstrated the possibility to discriminate the ten EVOOs, even if they belong to the same Italian region, by all three techniques. The result of GC–MS SPME detection was comparable at the discrimination level to the organoleptic test with few exceptions, while the S3 was able to better separate some EVOOs, which were not discriminated perfectly by the other two methods. The correlation analysis performed among and between the three methodologies allowed us to identify 388 strong associations with a p value less than 0.05. This study has highlighted how much the mix of VOCs was different even among few and localized EVOOs. The correlation with the sensor detection, which is faster and chipper compared to the other two techniques, elucidated the similarities and discrepancies between the applied methods.

Delineating unique and discriminant chemical traits in Brazilian and Italian extra-virgin olive oils by quantitative 2D-fingerprinting and pattern recognition algorithms

Brazil is the second-largest importer, after the United States, of extra-virgin olive oils with an internal production that just reaches 0.25 % of the volume imported and consumed. Information about diagnostic chemical signatures characterizing Brazilian oils is lacking, especially as related to geographical markers and key-aroma compounds distribution. This study fills this gap; by comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC×GC) combined with headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) and parallel detection (MS/FID), diagnostic quali-quantitative signatures of volatiles from Brazilian oils are obtained. Comprehensively mapping of untargeted and targeted (UT) features through fingerprinting algorithms provides effective classification models, benchmarking Brazilian oils (n = 28) vs. a large selection of Italian high-quality extra-virgin olive oils (n = 111). Identitation of Brazilian oils is achieved by combining six different feature selection strategies, the resulting pattern of predictors includes: 1-methoxy-2-propanol, ethyl acetate, (E)-4,8-dimethyl-1,3,7-nonatriene, propanoic acid, limonene, (E)-2-hexenal, hexanoic acid, pentanal, butanoic acid, hexanal, α-pinene, (E)-β-ocimene, and propanal. Compositional differences also are evidenced in composite-class images resembling 2D patterns characteristic of the two production areas. Quantitative fingerprinting, resembling an artificial intelligence smelling machine, characterizes the unique aroma with 1-penten-3-one and (Z)− 3-hexenal, dominating with pungent and green notes, followed by (E)− 2-hexenal (bitter-almond), (E,E)− 2,4-heptadienal (fatty), eucalyptol (herbal), benzaldehyde (almond), hexanal (green), and (E)− 2-hexen-1-ol (green grass).

FTIR coupled with machine learning to unveil spectroscopic benchmarks in the Italian EVOO

AbstractNon‐destructive analytical analyses coupled with classification and regression algorithms are promising techniques for monitoring quality, traceability and safety assessment in food industry. To prevent food fraud, Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) is particularly held in check. Here, attenuated total Reflectance‐Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (ATR‐FTIR) with Machine Learning is carried out to study an Italian EVOO data set coming from 6 regions to verify the geographical traceability, the cultivar and the repeatability of the agronomical practices, till the adulterated EVOO from soy and corn. The present work is carried out without reagents or esterification processes and considering the entire frequency range without any spectral windows selection, drastically reducing time and costs. Toscana, Lazio, Puglia and Calabria result regions well reproducible in terms of geo‐traceability, unlike the Sicilia and Umbria. The model extracts spectral benchmarks in EVOO in the following vibrational modes at 3004, 2952, 2922, 2852, 1742 and 1160 cm‐1.

Geographical indications' prices and marketing margins: the role of group size, longevity and production decisions

PurposeGeographical indication (GI) labels aim to improving farmers' and processors' income. This article studies how characteristics related to GI groups and their reputation (e.g. the producer group size, longevity and production decisions) are related to prices at the origin, final (consumption) prices and marketing margins.Design/methodology/approach The authors use 8 years of annual data for the Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) GI market encompassing 46 GI EVOOs. Estimated parameters characterizing the relationship between the GI's group features and prices (at origin and at consumption) are obtained via Three-Stage Least Squares (3SLS).FindingsResults show that the number of GI operators is related to consumption prices, while is weakly related to prices at the origin. GIs' age is not associated with higher consumption prices, while origin prices are lower for older GIs compared to younger ones. Higher farmers' olive/oil conversion rate is associated with lower origin and consumption prices, whereas the extent of vertical integration is related to higher prices at the origin and a higher share of the marketing margins going to producers.Originality/valueTo the best of their knowledge, the authors offer the first empirical evidence on how structural characteristics and production decisions of a GI group relate to prices and marketing margins.

Comparison of lipid profile of Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oils by using rapid chromatographic approaches

The following research focuses on the characterization of the major components of Extra Virgin Olive Oils (EVOOs), viz. triacylglycerols (TAGs), analyzed both in their intact form and after conversion into fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs). Samples coming from different Italian regions were evaluated in order to obtain quali/quantitative information, which can be correlated to the cultivar, label and/or place of origin. Two fast chromatographic methods were developed for the determination of TAGs and FAMEs in 200 EVOOs by liquid and gas chromatography, respectively. In both cases, a mass spectrometry library with embedded Linear Retention Indices was explored for the identification of single molecular species. Principal components analysis was performed as a multivariate display method; the score plots showed a clear demarcation between southern and central-northern regions, as well as a discrimination based on the variety of olives. In particular, southern EVOOs were satisfactorily differentiated on the basis of the cultivar, while the central-northern EVOOs showed a partial overlapping, unless a significant reduction of the total variability was carried out, considering only EVOOs produced according to a specific regulation, e.g. oils labelled with Protected Designation of Origin.

Agricultural landscape certification as a market-driven tool to reward the provisioning of cultural ecosystem services

Traditional agricultural landscapes provide cultural ecosystem services to human communities. However, the limited profitability of these landscapes often discourages farmers from preserving them. The current research evaluates: (i) whether the market would reward farmers providing a cultural ecosystem service, through an increased willingness to pay (WTP), for a food product with a traditional agricultural landscape certification; and (ii) what happens to the WTP when a food product reports multiple certifications, including the traditional agricultural landscape one. A convenience sample of Italian extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) buyers was involved in a non-hypothetical random nth price auction to determine the WTP for 250 ml EVOO bottles carrying different certification bundles. These bundles were composed of different combinations of three certifications: Organic, Protected Designation of Origin, and a traditional agricultural landscape certification associated with the preservation of terraced olive groves. The findings indicate that the traditional agricultural landscape certification receives a premium price both when EVOO carries it individually or combined with other labels. In the latter case, results show sub-additivity of premium prices. The current research proves that traditional agricultural landscapes are not necessarily bound to market failure; however, costs faced by farmers to maintain them can be rewarded through the market.

Effects of Ultrasound Technology on the Qualitative Properties of Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

The development of innovative technologies in the mechanical extraction process of extra virgin olive oil can improve its quality standards through the modulation of physical, chemical and biochemical processes. Extra virgin olive oil quality and varietal differentiation are influenced by many factors, particularly the extraction. The use of ultrasound technology in the extraction process does not affect the quality, the composition, and the thermal properties of the oil, facilitating its separation from solids, and it allows the release of active compounds from the olive paste, with a positive influence on the phenolic content. In this study, the impact of ultrasound technologies was evaluated on merceological parameters, quality profile, and organoleptic features of extra virgin olive oils extracted from whole and destoned olives of the three main Italian cultivars (i.e., Peranzana, Canino, and Coratina). The parameters analyzed were influenced by both genotype and treatment, in particular, sonication did not lead to significant changes in the nutraceutical profile of the oils. The de-stoned olives were able to determine a great improvement of oil quality both for phenolic and volatile composition with a significant enhancement of health and sensory properties of the product.

Geographical identification of Italian extra virgin olive oil by the combination of near infrared and Raman spectroscopy: A feasibility study

The potential of the combination of near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy to differentiate Italian and Greek extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) by geographical origin was evaluated. Near infrared spectroscopy and Raman fingerprints of both study groups (extra virgin olive oil from the two countries) were pre-processed, merged by low-level and mid-level data fusion strategies and submitted to partial least-squares discriminant analysis. The classification models were cross-validated. After low-level data fusion, the partial least-squares discriminant analysis correctly predicted the geographical origins of extra virgin olive oils in cross-validation with 93.9% accuracy, while sensitivity and specificity were 77.8% and 100%, respectively. After mid-level data fusion, the partial least-squares discriminant analysis correctly predicted the geographical origins of extra virgin olive oils in cross-validation with 97.0% accuracy, while sensitivity and specificity were 88.9% and 100%, respectively. In this preliminary study, improved discrimination of Italian extra virgin olive oils was achieved by the synergism of near infrared spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy as compared to the discrimination obtained by the separate laboratory techniques. This pilot study shows encouraging results that could open a new avenue for the authentication of Italian extra virgin olive oil.

Chromatographic Fingerprinting Enables Effective Discrimination and Identitation of High-Quality Italian Extra-Virgin Olive Oils.

The challenging process of high-quality food authentication takes advantage of highly informative chromatographic fingerprinting and its identitation potential. In this study, the unique chemical traits of the complex volatile fraction of extra-virgin olive oils from Italian production are captured by comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled to time-of-flight mass spectrometry and explored by pattern recognition algorithms. The consistent realignment of untargeted and targeted features of over 73 samples, including oils obtained by different olive cultivars (n = 24), harvest years (n = 3), and processing technologies, provides a solid foundation for sample identification and discrimination based on production region (n = 6). Through a dedicated multivariate statistics workflow, identitation is achieved by two-level partial least-square (PLS) regression, which highlights region diagnostic patterns accounting between 58 and 82 of untargeted and targeted compounds, while sample classification is performed by sequential application of soft independent modeling for class analogy (SIMCA) models, one for each production region. Samples are correctly classified in five of the six single-class models, and quality parameters [i.e., sensitivity, specificity, precision, efficiency, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC)] are equal to 1.00.

Sustainability Certification, a New Path of Value Creation in the Olive Oil Sector: The ITALIAN Case Study.

The Italian extra virgin olive oil supply chain has considerable potential for embarking on a path of sustainable development and evolution. In Italy, the great variety heritage and the different pedo-climatic characteristics result in local olive growing systems with different management techniques, producing extra virgin olive oils that are strictly entwined to the territory, with peculiar qualitative properties. Nevertheless, numerous criticalities have been traditionally eroding the competitiveness of Italian olive growing that could find in sustainability certifications, a lasting driver of value creation. Shared standardizations and certifications that include the three pillars of sustainability are therefore necessary for the development of the process.

Differentiation of Italian extra-virgin olive oils.

Differentiation of Italian extra-virgin olive oils.

Bioactive Secoiridoids in Italian Extra-Virgin Olive Oils: Impact of Olive Plant Cultivars, Cultivation Regions and Processing.

In the last two decades, phenolic compounds occurring in olive oils known as secoiridoids have attracted a great interest for their bioactivity. Four major olive oil secoiridoids, i.e., oleuropein and ligstroside aglycones, oleacin and oleocanthal, were previously characterized in our laboratory using reversed-phase liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization-Fourier transform-mass spectrometry (RPLC-ESI-FTMS). The same analytical approach, followed by multivariate statistical analysis (i.e., Principal Component Analysis), was applied here to a set of 60 Italian extra-virgin olive oils (EVOO). The aim was to assess the secoiridoid contents as a function of olive cultivars, place of cultivation (i.e., different Italian regions) and olive oil processing, in particular two- vs. three-phase horizontal centrifugation. As expected, higher secoiridoid contents were generally found in olive oils produced by two-phase horizontal centrifugation. Moreover, some region/cultivar-related trends were evidenced, as oleuropein and ligstroside aglycones prevailed in olive oils produced in Apulia (Southern Italy), whereas the contents of oleacin and oleocanthal were relatively higher in EVOO produced in Central Italy (Tuscany, Lazio and Umbria). A lower content of all the four secoiridoids was generally found in EVOO produced in Sicily (Southern Italy) due to the intrinsic low abundance of these bioactive compounds in cultivars typical of that region.

Differentiation of Italian extra virgin olive oils by rapid evaporative ionization mass spectrometry

The present work aims to differentiate Italian extra virgin olive oils through the analysis of about 100 samples for the building of a spectral database useful for the comparison beetwen top-quality oils. High-quality oils belonging to two different harvest years and coming from different Italian regions, labelled as PDO (Protected Denomination of Origin) or obtained from a single variety of olives (monocultivar), were available.Rapid Evaporative Ionization Mass Spectrometry, in combination with a monopolar handpiece as sampling device was explored for the first time on liquid and poorly conductive samples. Multivariate analyses were applied to build different chemometric models. The monocultivar oils gave positive feedback, leading to the reliable identification of each cultivar. The recognition of PDO oils resulted more challenging (failure percentage > 5%), probably due to the major intra-class variability, since oils labelled with the same PDO trademark often are produced from different cultivar in different percentages.

1H NMR Spectroscopy to Characterize Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil Blends, Using Statistical Models and Databases Based on Monocultivar Reference Oils.

During the last few years, the global demand for extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is increased. Olive oil represents a significant percentage of world fat consumption determining an important development of its market. In this context, the problems related to counterfeiting and product fraud is becoming extremely relevant. Thus, the quality and authenticity control of EVOOs is nowadays mandatory. In this study we focused on the use of 1H NMR technique associated with multivariate statistical analysis to characterize Italian EVOOs commercial blends. In particular, a specific database including 126 monocultivar EVOOs reference samples, was used to characterize a total of 241 Italian EVOOs blends over four consecutive harvesting years. Moreover, the effect of the minor components (phenolic compounds) on the qualitative characterization of blended EVOOs was also evaluated. The correlation analysis of classification scores obtained using two pairwise orthogonal partial least square-discriminant analysis models (built with major and combined major–minor components NMR data) revealed that both could be profitably used to generally classify the studied Coratina containing blends.

Cultivar and geographical origin authentication of Italian extra virgin olive oil using front-face fluorescence spectroscopy and chemometrics

A front-face fluorescence method has been used to obtain an excitation-emission matrix (EEM) of various Italian mono-cultivar, and mix-cultivar, extra virgin olive oils without any laborious sample preparation. These EEM use excitations from 230 to 360 nm and emissions from 260 to 390 nm to explore potential fingerprint characteristics that could be used for cultivar and geographical origin authentication. To simplify these complex spectral datasets, the variable reduction was undertaken using total absolute principal component coefficients. It has been found that at least 3 excitation wavelengths are necessary to obtain 5 variables which could explain more than 95% of the sample variance with 4 principal components. The 5 selected wavelength pairs (Ex./Em. 300/315; 300/340; 280/300; 280/320; and 265/330 nm) are recommended as a sensitive fingerprint of the EVOOs. Of the subsequent models explored based on this fingerprint, a non-parametric fine k-NN classifier was found to best classify the cultivar and geographical origins of the EVOOs. This result demonstrates that multiple excitation fluorescence techniques can be used for authentication of EVOO cultivars and geographical origins.

Concentration of Potentially Bioactive Compounds in Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oils from Various Sources by Using LC-MS and Multivariate Data Analysis.

High quality extra virgin olive oils represent an optimal source of nutraceuticals. The European Union (EU) is the world’s leading olive oil producer, with the Mediterranean region as the main contributor. This makes the EU the greatest exporter and consumer of olive oil in the world. However, small olive oil producers also contribute to olive oil production. Beneficial effects on human health of extra virgin olive oil are well known, and these can be correlated to the presence of vitamin E and phenols. Together with the origin of the olives, extraction technology can influence the chemical composition of extra virgin olive oil. The aim of this study was to investigate the concentration of potentially bioactive compounds in Italian extra virgin olive oils from various sources. For this purpose, vitamin E and phenolic fractions were characterized using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with fluorescence, photodiode array and mass spectrometry detection in fifty samples of oil pressed at industrial plants and sixty-six samples of oil produced in low-scale mills. Multivariate statistical data analysis was used to determine the applicability of selected phenolic compounds as potential quality indicators of extra virgin olive oils.

Consumer Misuse of Country-of-Origin Label: Insights from the Italian Extra-Virgin Olive Oil Market.

Providing information to consumers through the label is a means for food companies to inform consumers about product’s attributes, including the country of origin (COO). In the EU, COO labeling has been made mandatory for several categories of food products, to enable consumers to make informed choices at the point of sale. In particular, Regulation (EU) No 29/2012 has introduced a mandatory country-of-origin labeling system for extra virgin olive oil (EVOO). In the present study, conducted in Italy, we test whether there is a price differential associated with the COO information for EVOO. To this end, we employ a hedonic price model and data about the purchase of EVOO products collected from 982 consumers at the supermarket checkout. Having interviewed these consumers, we also assess the share of EVOO consumers that correctly identify the country of origin of the product purchased. Our findings point out that, in Italy, the EVOO with domestic origin, indicated on the label, benefits of a premium price equal to +35% compared to the product labeled as blend of European EVOOs, while a discount of −10.8% is attached to EVOOs from a non-European origin. A significant share of consumers in our sample (19.04%) is, however, unable to correctly identify the origin of the EVOO purchased. This label misuse mostly occurs among consumers who report that they had purchased Italian EVOO, while they had actually purchased a blend of European EVOOs. Female and more highly educated consumers are less likely to misuse label information about the product’s origins.

Thermal oxidation assessment of Italian extra virgin olive oil using an UltraViolet (UV) induced fluorescence imaging system.

Extra virgin olive oil is a high-quality product with profound health benefits but is susceptible to degradation due to oxidation. Environmental conditions such as temperature, oxygen, and light, promote the oxidation process. From this perspective thermal oxidation stability is of primary concern in terms of food quality and safety. The ability to resist oxidation ensures continued nutritional and economic value. In this study, the thermal oxidation stability of four mono-cultivars of extra virgin olive oil from four different regions of Italy was studied. The samples underwent thermal treatment at 120°C with measurements taken at regular time intervals over 180min. To develop a simplified imaging system, the fluorescence characteristics of the samples during thermal exposure were measured using front-face fluorescence and transmittance spectroscopy in order to assess the changes that occur due to thermal exposure. Standard quality indices including; Peroxide value, acidity, K232, and K270, were also measured following IOC (International Olive Council) procedures. Image processing of both color and fluorescence images was done to ascertain cultivar responses to the thermal treatment. Fluorescence peaks associated with polyphenols, oxidation products, and chlorophyll were identified and monitored, and a comparison made between the different cultivars. Fluorescence peaks were observed at emission wavelengths 435, 465, and 570nm, which are suspected to be products of oxidation and hydrolysis, respectively. The cultivars with a higher concentration of polyphenols showed greater resistance to the formation of oxidation products; an indication that they have a higher thermal stability. The B channel of the RGB color space was identified as being sensitive to changes in UltraViolet (UV) induced fluorescence images due to thermal exposure, and to enable the monitoring of the thermal stability of the different cultivars of extra virgin olive oil.