Nutritional, textural and sensorial characterisation of Italian table olives (<i>Olea europaea</i> L. cv. ‘Intosso d’Abruzzo’)

Abstract

Summary In the present study, we evaluated chemical, nutritional, sensory and textural characteristics of table olives of an Italian double‐aptitude olive cultivar ( Olea europaea L. cv. Intosso d’Abruzzo ). The aim of this work was to focus some physico‐chemical characteristics of this end product in order to enhance the value of this fruit from a nutritional point of view. These table olives are fruits with an appreciable content of fibre (2.6 g/100 g) and natural antioxidants such as polyphenols (167.8 mg/100 g) and α‐tocopherol (6.44 mg/100 g). In this cultivar, oil content is high (17.5 g/100 g), such as MUFA (13.6 g/100 g). The protein content is low (1 g/100 g), but nutritional quality is high for the presence of essential amino acids.