The volatile composition of samples from the blend of monovarietal olive oils and from the processing of mixtures of olive fruits

Abstract

Abstract The volatile fraction deriving from the lipoxygenase pathway of samples obtained by processing olive fruits of 2 cultivars in known proportions was compared with that of samples deriving from the blending of oils extracted from the same cultivars and in the same proportions. The varieties considered for the mixtures were Coratina and Koroneiki, Coratina and Frantoio, and Dritta and Bosana, respectively. The results confirmed that the accumulation of each volatile compound from the lipoxygenase pathway in the monovarietal oils was different and closely dependent on the genetic store of each variety. The concentrations of the mentioned compounds appeared to change in a way proportional to the percent of each monovarietal oil in the samples obtained by blending 2 monovarietal oils. Instead, the oils obtained by processing mixtures of fruits from the 2 corresponding cultivars showed a striking accumulation of volatile compounds, especially of C 6 ‐compounds, which reached higher concentration at different percentages depending on the cultivars processed.