A Rapid Application to Flavor the Olive Oil with DriedRosmarinus officinalisL. Leaves: Microwave-Assisted Maceration

Abstract

Microwave-assisted maceration (MAM) was developed as a new and rapid application to flavor the olive oil with dried Rosmarinus officinalis L. leaves. MAM was compared to conventional method (CM) in terms of rapidity of maceration, yield and sensory characteristic of flavored olive oils. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) sheds light on the physical action of the both maceration methods. 1,8cineole and camphor were two major volatile compounds of rosemary essential oil identified by GC/MS, they were used as keys estimating the level of maceration. The flavored olive oil obtained by MAM for 400 W and 10 min was quantitatively (yield) better than those obtained by CM for 12 h. The SEM showed clearly that the cells were broken and damaged more quickly in MAM than in CM. The MAM was proposed as an efficient, simple and fast application for direct maceration of olive oil with rosemary leaves. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONSFlavoring the olive oil with aromatic plants has been an increasing topic in the food industry, because it provided a new concept by adding value to the olive oil, at the same time, satisfy the sensory requirements of the consumer. Recently, much attention has been given to the application of the microwave energy in several industrial processes. Therefore, the objective of this study was to flavor the olive oil with rosemary leaves using the microwave-assisted maceration (MAM) to enhance the speed of maceration compared to the conventional method. The appropriate comparisons in terms of maceration kinetic, yield and sensory characteristic of flavored oils were determined and the results were discussed.

Flavoured and fortified olive oils - Pros and cons

“…Flavouring olive oils is a very old practice in the Mediterranean region, being nowadays performed by contact, the most common technique, co-extraction or essential oils incorporation (Baiano et al, 2016;Benmoussa et al, 2016;Caponio et al, 2016;Caporaso et al, 2013;Clodoveo et al, 2016;Romaniello & Baiano, 2018). The flavouring by contact and essential oil incorporation are techniques implemented after the olive oil extraction, while flavouring by co-extraction implies the contact between olive mass and flavouring agent during olive oil extraction.…”

“…As can be inferred from the information gathered in Tables 1-4, a vast number of studies have been devoted to the flavouring of olive oils, pointing out the interest of this ancient Mediterranean practice as well as the diversity of techniques, agents and effects of the flavouring process. Based on the available data, it can be stated that the use of flavouring by direct contact is the most studied technique, which could be attributed to the easy implementation of this technique, not requiring any change in the usual oil extraction process (Benmoussa et al, 2016;Clodoveo et al, 2016). Furthermore, considering that the flavouring is performed directly on the extracted oils, the desirable sensory properties of the flavouring agent can be delivered/migrated to the oil (Benmoussa et al, 2016).…”

“…Based on the available data, it can be stated that the use of flavouring by direct contact is the most studied technique, which could be attributed to the easy implementation of this technique, not requiring any change in the usual oil extraction process (Benmoussa et al, 2016;Clodoveo et al, 2016). Furthermore, considering that the flavouring is performed directly on the extracted oils, the desirable sensory properties of the flavouring agent can be delivered/migrated to the oil (Benmoussa et al, 2016). Even so, there is still a considerable number of studies reporting the production of flavoured olive oils by co-extraction or by the addition of essential oils.…”

“…In fact, according to Baiano, Gambacorta, and la Notte (2010), a flavoured oil can be defined as an "olive oil (generally an extra-virgin olive oil) that has been processed with vegetables, herbs, spices or other fruits in order to improve the nutritional value, enrich the sensory characteristics and increase shelf-life". Some studies (Baiano et al, 2016;Benmoussa et al, 2016;Sousa et al, 2015) reported that flavoured/fortified olive oils are gaining relevance in the food industry, namely in the section of gourmet products. This fact implies clear innovation strategies, including those associated with the level/type/form of the flavouring agents used, aiming to enhance the value of the olive oil and meet the consumer's sensory requirements.…”

“…Commonly, three techniques are used for flavouring olive oils, namely the contact method (permanent or temporary), co-extraction, and incorporation of essential oils (Baiano et al, 2016;Benmoussa et al, 2016;Caponio et al, 2016;Caporaso, Paduano, Nicoletti, & Sacchi, 2013;Clodoveo et al, 2016;Romaniello & Baiano, 2018). Among these, the contact method, in which a direct contact is promoted between the olive oil and the flavouring agent, is the most usual and traditional technique.…”