On the Squalene Content of CV Chondrolia Chalkidikis and Chalkidiki (Greece) Virgin Olive Oil

This work is a continuation of efforts to establish the nutritional profile of virgin olive oil (VOO) from cv. Chondrolia Chalkidikis and Chalkidiki and to strengthen its positioning in the global VOO landscape. VOOs produced at an industrial scale in different olive mills of the Chalkidiki (Greece) regional unit as well as VOOs obtained at the laboratory scale from drupes of different maturity stages for four consecutive harvesting years were examined for their squalene (SQ) content using both HPLC and GC procedures. The mean values of SQ were found to be 4228 (HPLC) and 4865 (GC) mg/kg oil (n = 15) and were of the same magnitude as that in VOOs from cv Koroneiki (4134 mg/kg, n = 23). Storage of VOOs in the dark at room temperature for 18 months indicated an insignificant mean SQ content loss (~2%) in comparison to a mean loss of 26% for alpha-tocopherol content. This finding strengthens our view that SQ does not act as a radical scavenger that donates hydrogen atoms to the latter. The four consecutive harvest years studied indicated a clear declining trend in VOO SQ concentration upon olive ripening. To our knowledge, this is the first systematic work concerning the SQ content of Chondrolia Chalkidikis and Chalkidiki VOOs.

A Machine Vision Rapid Method to Determine the Ripeness Degree of Olive Lots

The degree of olive maturation is a very important factor to consider at harvest time, as it influences the organoleptic quality of the final product, for both oil and table use. The Jaén index, evaluated by measuring the average coloring of olive fruits (peel and pulp), is currently considered to be one of the most indicative methods to determine the olive ripening stage, but it is a slow assay and its results are not objective. The aim of this work is to identify the ripeness degree of olive lots through a real-time, repeatable, and objective machine vision method, which uses RGB image analysis based on a k-nearest neighbors classification algorithm. To overcome different lighting scenarios, pictures were subjected to an automatic colorimetric calibration method—an advanced 3D algorithm using known values. To check the performance of the automatic machine vision method, a comparison was made with two visual operator image evaluations. For 10 images, the number of black, green, and purple olives was also visually evaluated by these two operators. The accuracy of the method was 60%. The system could be easily implemented in a specific mobile app developed for the automatic assessment of olive ripeness directly in the field, for advanced georeferenced data analysis.

Characterization of ‘Castellana’ Virgin Olive Oils with Regard to Olive Ripening

The production of high-quality virgin olive oil from traditional olive (Olea europaea L.) varieties with peculiar and differential characteristics is of great interest for the olive oil market. ‘Castellana’ is an autochthonous variety mainly located in the center of Spain. The aims of this study were 1) the characterization of ‘Castellana’ virgin olive oils and 2) the evaluation of the influence of fruit ripening degree on the oil quality to establish an optimum harvest time for ‘Castellana’ olives. A wide range of physicochemical and sensorial quality parameters were assayed in oils produced at four harvest times during three crop seasons. ‘Castellana’ oils could be classified into the extra virgin category at all ripening degrees studied. This variety provides well-balanced oils from the sensorial point of view with an optimum chemical composition. Nevertheless, fruit maturation had a strong effect in various quality parameters, especially total phenol content, total tocopherol content, sensorial quality, and to a lesser extent in fatty acid composition. Loss of antioxidants and decrease in sensorial quality take place during olive ripening, reducing the nutritional, sensorial, and commercial quality of virgin olives oils as the harvest is delayed. Results suggest that the production of optimal extra virgin olive oil requires that ‘Castellana’ olives should be harvested from the middle of November to the middle of December, coinciding with a ripening index between 3.1 and 4.1. These results are of great importance to the olive oil industry for improving the quality of virgin olive oils produced from ‘Castellana’.