Seeking for sensory differentiated olive oils? The urge to preserve old autochthonous olive cultivars

Abstract

Mediterranean olive heritage richness is poorly characterized. Olive oils from minor cultivars of Northeast-Portugal (Lentisca, Madural, Rebolã, Redondal, Verdeal and Verdeal Transmontana) from centenarian trees were chemical and sensory characterized, aiming to identify autochthonous cultivars capable of producing differentiated olive oils. All oils, produced during two campaigns, were classified as extra virgin. Cv. Redondal showed the highest oxidative stability (OS), total phenols, vitamin E and C 18:1 /C 18:2. Contrary, cv. Madural presented the lowest OS and C 18:1 /C 18:2 ratios, supporting the importance of fatty acids on OS, while cv. Verdeal had the lowest total phenols and vitamin E contents. Sensory notes of tomato, apple, dry fruits, fresh herbs, tomato leaves and cabbage were predominant on the oils of most cultivars, whilst some attributes were more specific, such as banana and kiwi (Madural), cherry and apricot (cvs. Lentisca and Madural). The chemical and sensory diversity enabled the statistical discrimination of all cultivars and harvesting years.

Application of a lab-made electronic nose for extra virgin olive oils commercial classification according to the perceived fruitiness intensity

“…This latter oils group was further split into 3 levels (2 brands per level) according to the perceived intensity of the fruity sensation as EVOO greenly fruity intense (median intensity > 6), EVOO greenly fruity medium (3 ≤ median intensity ≤ 6) and EVOO greenly fruity light/mild (median intensity < 3). The commercial complementary grade terminology indicated in the oils' labels was based on sensory analysis data and was confirmed by the sensory panel of the School of Agriculture of the Polytechnic Institute of Bragança, Portugal [33].…”

Eleven Monovarietal Extra Virgin Olive Oils from Olives Grown and Processed under the Same Conditions: Effect of the Cultivar on the Chemical Composition and Sensory Traits

“…To allow a statistical comparison across the cultivars for the perceived intensity of sensory attributes, two-way ANOVA models were conducted separately on intensity values given to each sensory attribute from panel descriptive data (fixed factors: cultivar, assessors). This statistical approach, that can be exploited when the aim is the valorization and differentiation of oils [ 35 , 36 ] (like in the present case), allows the estimation of the effect of the cultivar on the perceived intensity of the sensations expressed by the F Fisher’s ratio, followed by Tukey’s pairwise test conducted on the mean values ( p < 0.05). Correlations among variables were tested with the Pearson coefficient ( R ) ( p < 0.05).…”

Effect of malaxation temperature on the physicochemical and sensory quality of cv. Cobrançosa olive oil and its evaluation using an electronic tongue

“…The quality grade of the samples was set considering the physicochemical levels and sensory data, following the methodologies described by the European Union standard methods (Annexes II and IX in the Commission Regulation (EEC) Nº 2568/91 from 11th July and amendments). Each olive oil sample was also evaluated by 8 trained panellists of the olive oil sensory panel of the School of Agriculture of the Polytechnic Institute of Bragança, Portugal (Rodrigues et al, 2020). The intensity of the positive or negative attributes were scored according to an unstructured continuous intensity scale ranging from 0 (no sensory sensation perceived) to 10 (maximum intensity of the sensory sensation perceived), following the abovementioned European Regulation.…”

“…On other hand, physicochemical and sensory analysis of olive oils are, in most cases, time-consuming and expensive tasks. Physicochemical analysis requires several conventional analytical techniques (e.g., titration, spectrophotometry, high performance liquid chromatography and gas chromatography) while sensory assessment relies on the availability of trained sensory panels (Rodrigues, Casal, Peres, Baptista, & Pereira, 2020). Regarding the sensory analysis, besides the scarcity of panellists, the low number of samples that can be assessed per day, together with the intrinsic complexity/difficulty in recognizing some attributes, emerges as important limitations of this procedure (Lanza & Amoruso, 2020).…”