Influence of the fatty acid profile on the volatile components of virgin olive oil subjected to thermal stress

Abstract

BACKGROUND Virgin olive oil (VOO) is greatly appreciated for its organoleptic features, which can be ascribed mainly to the presence of very chemically diverse volatile components. It is well known that the VOO volatile fraction depends strongly on different aspects, which encompass genetic, agronomic, processing, and post‐processing factors. In this research, we developed a method for the qualitative and semiquantitative determination of volatile components in VOOs subjected to thermal stress by headspace extraction online coupled to gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (HS–GC–MS). RESULTS The method was applied to 100 extra‐virgin olive oil (EVOO) samples, which led to the tentative identification of 52 volatile components, including 12 alcohols, 17 aldehydes, three ketones, one ether, two furans, two carboxylic acids, and 15 hydrocarbons. The method was used to study the cultivar effect and the main biochemical pathways involved in the synthesis of volatile compounds, with special emphasis on those formed by degradation of unsaturated fatty acids (FAs). Principal component analysis (PCA), explaining 76.7% of the total variability, showed that the volatile profile of EVOOs subjected to thermal stress allowed discriminating samples from different cultivars. CONCLUSION Volatiles detected in EVOOs subjected to thermal stress with the highest contribution to discrimination between the selected cultivars were correlated with the concentration of the three main FAs in VOO, namely oleic, linoleic, and linolenic acids. The FA profile seems to be especially relevant to explain the concentration of certain volatile compounds with direct incidence on the organoleptic properties. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry

Characterization of the Volatile Compounds in Camellia oleifera Seed Oil from Different Geographic Origins

“…Geographical factors have a strong effect on the formation of chemically volatile substances of Camellia oil [ 34 ], especially for virgin oil [ 35 ]. In order to evaluate the characterization of the flavor of virgin Camellia oleifera seed oil (VCO) from different planting locations in southern China, HS-SPME/GC–MS was performed to analyze the volatile compounds in this study.…”

“…The flavor composition and nutritional evaluation of edible plants in different growing locations has been an important research field in the past few years, such as focusing on volatile compounds, fatty acids, amino acids, polyphenols, and antioxidant activities in Capsicum annuum [ 23 ], Viburnum opulus L. [ 24 ], olive [ 18 , 25 , 26 , 27 ], Taxus Baccata L. [ 28 ], Paeonia ostii [ 29 ], and Camellia sinensis [ 30 ]. It has long been known that the volatile compounds of edible oil are related to genetic (cultivars) [ 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 ], environmental (geography [ 18 , 25 , 27 , 31 ], climatic conditions [ 27 , 31 ] and storage conditions [ 31 ]), cultivating (agronomic techniques [ 36 ] and the degree of fruit ripening [ 31 , 36 ]), and processing (harvesting methods [ 31 ] and processing technology [ 37 ]) factors. Therefore, geographic origin of C. oleifera is greatly responsible for the sensorial characteristics of VCO.…”

Screening of the Volatile Composition of Moroccan Olive Oils by Using SPME/GC-MS-FID over a Two-Year Period: A Pedoclimatic Discrimination

“…Within the context, n-hexanal was positively correlated with linoleic acid (Table S3) in our olive oil samples. Along with this C6 aldehyde, a C5 aldehyde (E)-2-pentenal exhibited a positive correlation with linolenic acid indicating an increase in the secondary pathway's activity in olive oils rich in linolenic acid [49].…”

“…The latter hexanal and (E)-2-hexenal are the LOX pathway products [4,29]. (E)-2-Hexenal is produced from the 13-hydroperoxide of linolenic acid that is cleaved by hydroperoxide lyase to form 3-hexenal, which in turn might be reduced to (Z)-3-hexenol [4,49], whereas n-hexanal is produced by the involvement of the hydroperoxide lyase (HPL) that cleaves the 13-hydroperoxide of linoleic acid [4]. Within the context, n-hexanal was positively correlated with linoleic acid (Table S3) in our olive oil samples.…”